Forced to Live Together After Picking Up the Child of My Rival Alpha - Chapter 17

Luo Wei’s distinctive ringtone made Song Yuan frown slightly. Given the timing, Luo Wei was almost certainly calling about the next episode of the show.

To prevent Luoluo and Yu Jin from overhearing any negative comments Luo Wei might make about them, Song Yuan set down her bowl and chopsticks and stepped away to take the call.

After Song Yuan left, Luoluo began poking her rice and green peppers listlessly with a spoon.

Noticing something was wrong, Yu Jin gently moved Luoluo’s bowl aside.

Luoluo lifted her head, which had been bowed until then, revealing a small face streaked with tears.

Yu Jin’s heart sank. Worried about her own emotional instability and even more concerned for Luoluo’s mental well-being, she tried to understand the cause and asked softly, “What’s wrong, Luoluo?”

Luoluo sniffled, her voice trembling. “Luoluo is an unwanted child.”

Yu Jin remained silent, pulling out a tissue to gently wipe Luoluo’s tear-stained face.

Luoluo desperately wanted to hear words of reassurance, but Yu Jin’s silence made her deeply uneasy. An inner voice whispered: Yes, Mommy doesn’t want you anymore.

The more Yu Jin wiped, the harder Luoluo cried.

Yu Jin sighed. “Mommy would never abandon you.”

Luoluo pushed away Yu Jin’s hand, which only seemed to wipe away tears, and retorted, “Liar! I heard it myself Mommy doesn’t like me!”

Yu Jin frowned. “Who said that?”

Between sobs, Luoluo replied, “I heard everything! Mommy is going to be with another auntie. She won’t take Luoluo with her. No one wants me anymore, wu wu wu wu.”

As she spoke, Luoluo grew more distraught. The past few days of the three of them together had felt like a blissful dream.

But Wei Yang’s words that afternoon had struck her like a thunderbolt.

Yu Jin didn’t believe Song Yuan would choose her either, but she couldn’t show that in front of the child.

She tried to reason with Luoluo. “Mommy didn’t say she doesn’t want you today. She only said that next week’s arrangements will be discussed later.”

For a four- or five-year-old like Luoluo, such stiff reasoning was like listening to a monk chant scriptures.

All she understood was that Mommy might leave her next week, and the thought made her cry anxiously.

Yu Jin patted Luoluo’s head. “Don’t cry, Luoluo. There will always be a solution.”

Luoluo’s sobs gradually subsided. “What solution?”

After a moment of silence, Yu Jin said, “Mommy will find a way to make her stay.”

Though Luoluo’s face still showed confusion, in her heart, she trusted that Mommy never lied to her.

Gradually calming down, Luoluo wiped her tears with her small hand. “If I behave, will Mommy not leave?”

Yu Jin smiled faintly. “Yes, Luoluo is already very well-behaved.”

Luoluo trusted Yu Jin deeply and believed she wouldn’t deceive her, so she finally settled down.

But Luoluo had cried so hard that even after her tears stopped, she still let out occasional sniffles.

Yu Jin’s heart ached at the sight, silently cursing Song Yuan for taking so long on the phone while Luoluo cried herself into a tear-streaked mess.

On the other end, Song Yuan learned from Luo Wei’s call that, aside from speculating about the major scandal involving her and Yu Jin five years ago, the public was also placing bets on who Song Yuan would choose to form a family with in the next episode.

The buzz and trending traffic were there, but the attention wasn’t positive.

Luo Wei earnestly analyzed the current trends in the entertainment industry, emphasizing that Song Yuan should prioritize self-preservation and under no circumstances allow any major scandal from five years ago to be exposed.

When Song Yuan ended the call with Luo Wei and turned to head back to the living room, a familiar chill swept over her. Yu Jin stood behind her, staring intently.

Feeling puzzled, Song Yuan asked, “Finished dinner? Where’s Luoluo?”

“Luoluo’s asleep,” Yu Jin replied, her expression as gloomy as ever.

Song Yuan instinctively took a step back. Would Yu Jin slap her out of the blue again, like before?

But Yu Jin just kept staring without saying a word.

Song Yuan decided to ignore her. “I’m going to sleep then. You should rest early too.”

As Song Yuan brushed past her, Yu Jin grabbed her arm.

Shaking her slightly sore arm, Song Yuan asked, “What do you want now?”

“Who are you partnering with next round?” Yu Jin cut straight to the point.

Song Yuan hadn’t decided yet and answered truthfully, “I’m not sure.”

Yu Jin’s tone was flat but startling: “If you choose someone else, the show will be canceled.”

?

Song Yuan was baffled. “What do you mean? What does the show being canceled have to do with who I partner with?”

Yu Jin’s voice was light but shocking: “If you partner with someone else, I’ll make sure the show gets canceled.”

Song Yuan’s eyes widened. “Are you insane?”

She found the whole situation utterly ridiculous.

Yu Jin didn’t seem bothered by the insult. After a moment of silence, she said, “Luoluo cried tonight. She’s afraid you’ll abandon her.”

Song Yuan frowned. “Why would I abandon her? Even if I partner with someone else, I’ll take Luoluo with me!”

Yu Jin stood in the dim light, thinking bitterly so, she was the only one being discarded?

Her voice icy, Yu Jin asked, “You plan to take Luoluo away?”

“Of course,” Song Yuan replied matter-of-factly. “I brought Luoluo with me when I joined the show in the first place!”

“Impossible!” Yu Jin declared firmly.

Don’t even think about letting our child call someone else “Mommy”!

Song Yuan was bewildered. “What’s impossible? Stop doing these inexplicable things, okay?”

Humiliation sparked fury in Yu Jin’s eyes. Song Yuan stepped back again, worried she might get hit.

Yu Jin threatened coldly, “If you dare, just try it!”

Song Yuan fumed, “Anyone would think you’re her mother, the way you interfere like this.”

Yu Jin’s heart sank. How pathetic, she was the birth mother.

Looking at this woman who remained oblivious yet still argued with her, flushed with anger.

Song Yuan was a fool!

Yu Jin felt exhausted, while Song Yuan, still furious, recalled the earlier slap and seethed.

Yu Jin glared at her fiercely. “Idiot!”

With a gust of wind, the woman who had been arguing with her moments before turned to leave.

But Song Yuan, wanting to settle the argument, grabbed Yu Jin’s arm. “Wait! Explain yourself, what do you mean by all this?”

Yu Jin glanced down at the hand restraining her and closed her eyes. She had given birth to Luoluo and raised her for five years, only to have to send the child back to her now!

But she still couldn’t bring herself to tear open her own wounds of humiliation in front of Song Yuan.

Lowering her gaze, Yu Jin laughed mockingly. “I told you before you’re nothing but a scoundrel!”

The argument ended when Yu Jin walked away, but the issues between them remained unresolved.

As a result, the next day during the live variety show, the two of them were locked in a silent, mutual cold war.

Since it was the final day of the first episode, the host didn’t arrange any other games or activities. Instead, the guests were simply gathered in the courtyard to chat about their experiences raising children.

The three families sat around the tea table under the persimmon tree, just as they had at the beginning of the show.

Song Yuan had thought Luoluo would take the initiative to talk to the other children today, but instead, Luoluo sat quietly by herself, just like usual snacking on treats or silently fiddling with her toys, completely detached from everything around her.

Unexpectedly, Yu Jin seemed more attentive to Luoluo than before, whispering to her from time to time.

Luoluo held up a little duck toy in response to Yu Jin and said, “This one is cuter.”

Yu Jin gently patted Luoluo’s head.

Luoluo then held up the little duck to show Song Yuan, carefully offering it to her and saying, “Mom, look at the little duck.”

Having spent so many days with Luoluo, Song Yuan immediately picked up on the cautious tone in her voice.

Picking up the duck, Song Yuan pretended to be pleasantly surprised as she looked at Luoluo. “Wow, what an adorable little duck! You have such great taste, Luoluo. Who gave this to you?”

As Song Yuan coaxed her, Luoluo’s eyes visibly brightened. She pointed at Yu Jin and said, “It was Mommy. Mommy brought it from the car this morning.”

Song Yuan pressed her lips together. Just hearing Yu Jin’s name made her blood boil, but she couldn’t show it in front of Luoluo.

She had no choice but to follow Luoluo’s little finger and glance in Yu Jin’s direction.

Song Yuan had intended to keep coaxing Luoluo, but when she looked over, Yu Jin gave her a cold, disdainful glance before turning away with a look of contempt.

Song Yuan was so angry she almost laughed inwardly, and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

Unbeknownst to her, that exact moment was captured by the camera.

Yu Jin had a massive fan base, and seeing their idol being treated with such disrespect made them furious.

Instantly, the barrage of comments exploded.

【Jinjin’s Wife @: I’ve had it with this woman! She’s been cold to Yu Jin all day, and now she rolls her eyes? Is she trying to pull off some ‘scorned after failing to seduce’ act?】

【@Ten Years with Jin: What is she doing? Even if she’s being replaced next episode, she should at least leave a good impression, right?】

【Loves Tomato and Eggs: I think this goes beyond a simple issue, it’s a character flaw. Can we please stop letting her show off?】

【Taking Luoluo Away: All she’s done these past few days is cause drama. Please don’t bring her back next episode, sis. I just want to watch my little princess Luoluo!】

【YuYuYuYu Jin: I can’t take it anymore! For a second there, I really wanted to gouge out Song Yuan’s eyeballs!】

In no time, both Yu Jin’s fans and casual viewers expressed confusion over Song Yuan’s inexplicable coldness that day, especially after that split-second eye roll caught on camera.

【YuanYuan’s Main: Are you insane? Why are you getting so worked up over one shot?】

Soon, that comment defending Song Yuan was quickly drowned out by the flood of criticism.

Some even announced they were no longer fans.

At that moment, Song Yuan was completely unaware of the online backlash.

As the final day’s activities drew to a close, Meng Yanyan concluded with a long string of blessings and closing remarks before giving the camera a mysterious smile.

“As required by the program, the guests must choose their family partners and children for the next episode in advance.”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone subtly began paying attention to Song Yuan’s reaction.

Even the cameraman couldn’t resist giving her a few extra seconds of close-up footage.

Song Yuan’s phone buzzed incessantly in her pocket. Seizing a moment when the camera wasn’t on her, she quickly glanced at it.

Messages from Luo Wei kept popping up one after another.

Sister Weiwei: Stop teaming up with Yu Jin! Her fans are way too fierce!

Sister Weiwei: You’re practically getting blacklisted all over the internet right now!

Sister Weiwei: Later, just pick Wei Yang directly! Both sides have already communicated beforehand!

Sister Weiwei: Did you hear me?!

After finishing her words, Meng Yanyan continued, “Same rules as before the six parents will go to the southern room, hold hands, and walk out. Then the children will choose their own mom and mama!”

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