Forced to Live Together After Picking Up the Child of My Rival Alpha - Chapter 15

A night of sweet dreams lasted until sparrows chirped outside and sunlight streamed through the window into the suite’s living room.

Yu Jin’s eyelids fluttered slightly before she slowly opened her eyes.

The memories of last night’s absurdity flooded her mind. Due to the marked pheromones, she had shamelessly gone weak in the knees.

Yet the very culprit responsible for it all was sleeping peacefully beside her, a smile gracing her lips as if lost in a beautiful dream.

Yu Jin’s anger flared, and she delivered a swift kick.

Song Yuan, who had been dreaming happily of taking Luoluo to buy candy in a city made of clouds, suddenly found herself plummeting from the sky with the child. As a mother, her instinct in the dream was to wrap her arms tightly around Luoluo, cushioning the fall with her own body.

Her back collided with the coffee table, jolting Song Yuan fully awake.

After kicking Song Yuan off the couch, Yu Jin reached out a hand, a flicker of panic in her eyes. She had only meant to wake her up.

Seeing the disheveled and bewildered Song Yuan on the floor, still clutching Luoluo, Yu Jin felt a belated pang of regret.

Luoluo, shaken awake by the commotion, rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked, “Mommy, why are we sleeping on the floor?”

It took Song Yuan a moment to collect herself before she replied with a cold smirk, “Maybe your Mommy Yu Jin felt sorry for us, not wanting us to squeeze on this cramped sofa, so she kindly kicked us onto the more spacious floor.”

Luoluo, who had just begun to wake up properly, blinked her big eyes and looked at Yu Jin.

Huh? Is that really what happened?

Song Yuan took a deep breath, scooped Luoluo up, and said, “Come on, let’s go brush your teeth.”

Early in the morning as it was, she decided not to argue with Yu Jin.

Left alone on the sofa, Yu Jin rubbed the tip of her nose and coughed lightly, feeling somewhat awkward.

After the family finished breakfast, several staff members in uniforms entered the variety show set.

Among them was an experienced kindergarten teacher who quickly bonded with the children. Even Luoluo’s gaze unconsciously followed the teacher around, making Song Yuan feel a little jealous.

Finally, one of the staff members stepped forward and announced, “Good morning, everyone. Today’s activity involves having the three children temporarily separate from their parents to practice social and cooperative skills with their peers.”

Separate from their parents?

Song Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly, and she instinctively glanced at Luoluo with a hint of worry.

Luoluo was also looking at Song Yuan. Perhaps sensing her mother’s concern, the little girl flashed a bright, reassuring smile that put Song Yuan somewhat at ease.

After the chattering children were led away, the parents gathered around to brew tea and chat.

Yue Yue propped her chin in her hands and looked at Ma Tianmeng. “I’m a little worried about Bella.”

Ma Tianmeng replied, “I overheard the production team yesterday saying they’re planning to set up a maze.”

Song Yuan, who had been drowsily nodding off with her chin in her hand, perked up at this and hurriedly asked, “Are they making the children navigate a maze?”

Ma Tianmeng rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Actually, I also overheard some of the rules. Basically, the children will have to hold hands and work together to complete tasks along the way. Finishing tasks will give them clues on how to exit the maze.”

Yu Jin, standing nearby, also looked slightly concerned. Just as she was lost in thought, the staff wheeled in a large screen.

The screen displayed eight different camera feeds, each showing a different section of the maze.

The maze was decorated in a cartoonish style, with vibrant colors that made it feel lively. The three children, upon entering, didn’t seem particularly anxious. Instead, they were immediately captivated by the strange buttons and murals on the walls.

Dian Dian was first drawn to a pink, protruding circle. She reached out her little hand and pressed it firmly, causing colorful ribbons to flutter out from inside, making her giggle with delight. Following the direction of the ribbons, she discovered a crystal ball with directional buttons.

Outside the screen, Wei Yang smiled and leaned his head close to Song Yuan’s shoulder, as if whispering, but his words were loud enough for everyone present to hear: “I told you before, Dian Dian is such a cute and clever child.”

Song Yuan was intently watching the large screen, her gaze fixed firmly on Luoluo. She didn’t notice Wei Yang leaning so close and only caught fragments of his words: “Blah blah blah, Dian Dian is cute and clever.”

Song Yuan nodded perfunctorily and continued watching Luoluo.

Wei Yang withdrew his upper body, not minding Song Yuan’s indifferent attitude, and sat beside her with a blissful expression.

Yu Jin glanced sideways briefly, unconsciously letting out a soft sigh, then turned her attention back to Luoluo’s performance.

As soon as Luoluo entered the maze, she was captivated by the murals on the walls. Though they depicted various small animals, one set of images stood out for its regularity, a particularly lively little squirrel. Luoluo followed the direction of the squirrel’s jumps.

Song Yuan noticed the cleverness in the squirrel’s movements and raised an eyebrow in approval. Not bad at all, as expected of the child I’ve been raising for the past few days!

She instinctively turned to look at Yu Jin on her left. Though Yu Jin’s expression remained calm, the slight upward curve of her lips betrayed her current mood.

The children worked together to solve the challenges one by one until they reached the final stage.

In the last challenge, the three children had to choose one person to tell the teacher the names and hobbies of the other two.

Bella, a highly organized child, placed her hands on her hips and called Dian Dian and Luoluo over. “I’ll do the talking! I remember both your names. Now, quickly tell me what you like!”

Dian Dian pondered thoughtfully.

Luoluo, meanwhile, played with a stuffed bunny that had emerged from beneath the mural, watching Dian Dian intently as she thought.

Bella, being impatient, grew increasingly anxious as Dian Dian and Luoluo remained silent. She pointed at the countdown timer on the wall of the final challenge. “Hurry up! There are only three minutes left!”

After a long moment of contemplation, Dian Dian finally spoke up. “I like watching TV.”

Bella repeated it to herself, reinforcing her memory. “Dian Dian likes watching TV.”

She then reached out and shook the silent Luoluo. “Come on, come on! Luoluo, what do you like?”

Luoluo hugged the stuffed bunny tightly and replied in a soft, sweet voice, “Luoluo likes Mama and Mommy.”

Outside the screen, Song Yuan felt a pang in her heart, her lips curling into a slight smile.

What she hadn’t expected was that, despite Luoluo having only known Yu Jin for a short time, Yu Jin held a place in Luoluo’s heart equal to her own.

She couldn’t help but turn to look at Yu Jin, who sat with her legs crossed naturally, her expression calm and unreadable.

Wei Yang leaned close to Song Yuan’s ear again. “Luoluo’s words are so touching.”

After a moment, when he noticed Song Yuan wasn’t reacting, he looked up and realized she was staring elsewhere. Following her gaze, he could only see Yu Jin’s sharp jawline.

Wei Yang’s expression darkened for a moment before he averted his eyes.

The live-stream comments for the variety show were flying across the screen.

【Your Beans: She’s looking at her, and she’s looking at her! What kind of plot is this?! Wait, those fanfiction readers are going to show up again.】

【Yang Yang Yang: Don’t call us fanfiction readers! I’m going to write a fanfic as soon as I get back. Sob, sob, sob, my Yang Yang loves so humbly!】

[@What to eat today: Damn, what a classic moment, I screenshotted it.】

But Song Yuan remained unaware until Wei Yang beside her let out a sharp scream.

“Yuan! Who hit you?”

Hearing this, the cameraman quickly switched angles, and the variety show zoomed in on Song Yuan’s profile. Beneath the foundation, the distinct marks of five fingers slapping her cheek were clearly visible.

Wei Yang’s voice exploded in Song Yuan’s ears. She frowned slightly and moved away from Wei Yang.

As her fingers brushed her cheek, Song Yuan recalled the inexplicable slap from Yu Jin the night before. Her gaze instinctively drifted toward Yu Jin, a moment the camera precisely captured.

The audience behind the screens went wild.

What the hell? Trying to frame our Yu Jin? Why are you looking at her?[@Jin’s Wife: No way, is Song Yuan using a slap mark to stir up drama just to get our sister’s attention?]Who was it!? Who hit Yuan Yuan!? Hey, don’t flatter your “main squeeze” like she’s some irresistible charm. Our Yuan Yuan is just as good. Always thinking others are trying to seduce your idol delusional much?

All assistants! Investigate! I want all the details about that slap mark in three minutes!

Wishing Old Yu happiness: LMAO, this girl got slapped. Finally, someone couldn’t stand her flirting around. Maybe she got beaten up by the original partner for being the other woman, hahahaha.】

Fans from both sides were fiercely arguing, while various gossip accounts seized the moment, churning out all sorts of versions with Song Yuan’s name highlighted in bold red text.

Wei Yang clearly realized she had misspoken and hurriedly apologized to the camera, “Sorry, director, please cut that part out.”

But for the production team, this was prime content. Song Yuan knew the director wouldn’t actually listen to Wei Yang and cut the scene.

Gracefully, she lightly touched her right cheek and faced the camera, “Last night, I was studying the script. I got too immersed in the emotions of the scene.”

“Right, Teacher Yu?”

Yu Jin’s gaze remained fixed on the finger marks on her cheek, silent for a long time.

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