Chapter 45: An Unexpected Slap in the Face

Early the next morning, Lu Ye moved out.

With the presence of that man gone from the house, Jiang Sui instantly felt refreshed and clear-headed. Yet, she couldn’t shake the faint sense that something was missing. Though she hated to admit it, in every lifetime, the one she most looked forward to seeing seemed to be this man.

Her repeated journeys through different lives had left her numb and indifferent, dulled by unfamiliar faces and foreign surroundings. The only thing that remained familiar to her was that face. It was as if, so long as she saw him, she was no longer alone; someone in this world would always be there with her.

She quickly banished such thoughts from her mind. Forget it—no matter what, he was just a thankless traitor.

On the day “Mom is a Hero” resumed its live broadcast, Jiang Sui’s streaming room was immediately flooded with viewers. Bai Xixue’s stream was just as lively. The show’s investors were generous, the publicity was extravagant, and with the controversy surrounding the program, its return to the airwaves instantly set new records for online traffic across the entire internet. Rebroadcasts on every major platform shot to the top of the charts.

At the Shen family’s home, the entire family had gathered for a rare and earnest meal together. Suddenly, one of the television channels switched to the live broadcast.

Four streaming windows appeared on the screen in a grid.

“Mom, is that Jiang Sui?” Shen Hao raised his finger, pointing at one of the panels. His two brothers also looked up, their gazes turning to the stream.

Lin Hui frowned. “It really is her… Why has she started streaming again?” She had once paid attention to the entertainment industry because of Jiang Sui, but after seeing nothing but scandals about her online, and with their relationship in tatters, her interest had faded. Recently, she’d only heard rumors that Jiang Sui had gotten into trouble again on a variety show, and the incident seemed to have blown up. She didn’t dare to look online herself, unwilling to see words that would wound her daughter.

She was torn between anger and heartache.

Eldest brother Shen Qian’s face darkened. He said coldly, “Why bother watching that harbinger of bad luck? Turn it off.” Second brother Shen Li raised an eyebrow. “Why turn it off? Just in time for dinner entertainment. My colleagues at the studio have been talking about her lately—some are even praising her. I want to see for myself what she’s done.”

But Lin Hui’s eyes remained fixed on Jiang Sui on the screen, unable to look away. “Maybe… let’s not watch.”

She was well aware of what her daughter had done to the two brothers. She felt a bit guilty about it. Though the two boys weren’t hers by birth, she had never treated them badly, and there had never been any melodramatic stepchild or stepmother drama like in the television shows. So she always felt a bit remorseful about the troubles Jiang Sui had caused them.

“Let’s watch,” said the head of the Shen family. He turned to Lin Hui. “You haven’t seen Jiang Sui in so long. Didn’t she say she’d visit in a few days? Let’s see what she’s like now.”

He had noticed the longing in his wife’s eyes when it came to Jiang Sui. After all, Jiang Sui was her own daughter. Though their relationship was strained, he knew that Lin Hui continued to keep tabs on her quietly.

He had once discovered Lin Hui secretly registering alternate accounts online to “battle” Jiang Sui’s haters under the covers… It was only Jiang Sui’s increasing distance and misunderstanding that had left Lin Hui loving and resenting her daughter in equal measure.

Sure enough, after Shen Xiangdong spoke, Lin Hui pressed her lips together, as if wanting to smile but afraid to let it show.

Shen Li, the second brother, clicked into Jiang Sui’s stream. The moment the broadcast loaded, the comments began to fly across the screen in a torrent.

[Ahhhh Jiang Sui, my wonderful mommy, I’m here!!]
[Mom!!! (monkey swinging on vines) (screaming) (creeping in the shadows) (face twisted)]
[I’m so jealous of Jiang Sui’s kid, having such a great mom at such a young age]
[Wife wife wife wife wife prprprpr]
[I’m dying of envy, I’ve said it a thousand times, Sui Sui darling, please do a teaching livestream!]
[Another day of envying Xuanxuan, I’m sick of saying it already]

The whole family was dumbfounded by the wall of comments. The looks on their faces were more bewildered than if they’d just heard thunder on a clear day or been told someone was about to ascend to immortality.