Not long after, the girl who had been mocked in the live stream received another message:
["I asked my parents, and the owner next door is surnamed Gu, not Cen. But I heard that family hardly ever stays there—the house has been empty for years."]
After getting her friend's reply, the girl immediately typed indignantly: ["I knew it! Cen Meng must have sneaked into someone else's house to show off! I’m going to expose her!"]
The girl came from a privileged background and had never suffered much hardship in her life.
That day, she had originally planned to meet friends for shopping in the afternoon, but out of boredom in the morning, she clicked into a random live stream to kill time.
Who would’ve thought that just by leaving a comment, she’d get mocked by the celebrity’s fans? Naturally, she couldn’t swallow this insult.
After replying to her friend, she immediately opened a social media platform and started drafting a post:
"Breaking news! The luxury mansion that Cen Meng, the so-called celebrity, is showing off doesn’t even belong to her! My friend is a homeowner in Jinshui Bay, and she can confirm that the property is registered under the surname Gu—not Cen Meng or her parents!"
Meanwhile, in Cen Meng’s live stream, her fans were still basking in their idol’s glamorous image, convinced that she was a wealthy heiress.
At the same time, various gossip accounts began stirring the pot.
Urban Belle Jiajia: Elegant high-society lady VS flashy nouveau riche star kid? The latest hit family reality show reveals stark contrasts in parenting styles between two mothers—
Entertainment Seventeen: Deep dive into the three female guests of Mom: One is low-key and cultured, another comes from an acting dynasty, and the last one squandered all her advantages…
The posts from these gossip accounts unanimously compared the family backgrounds of Cen Meng and Ning Yuxuan.
The first blogger used screenshots from the show’s premiere, contrasting the luxury gifts Ning Fei gave her daughter with the books Cen Meng’s mother gave her, analyzing the parenting approaches of the two families.
The entire post, spanning hundreds of words, criticized Ning Fei’s parenting while praising Cen Meng’s upbringing.
It ended with a rhetorical question: What’s wrong with this era? Why is the gentle, low-key Cen Meng overlooked, while the shallow, materialistic Ning Fei and Ning Yuxuan are adored by netizens?
The second post compared clips of Cen Meng, Jiang Ning'an, and Ning Yuxuan from various TV dramas.
Cen Meng had previously starred in a few idol dramas, where her acting was passable, and her innocent looks earned her decent reviews from audiences.
Jiang Ning'an, in the recently popular drama Heart’s Plunder, received widespread acclaim for her performance.
Only Ning Yuxuan, who had a minor role in a flop drama a year ago, was criticized for her cringe-worthy acting.
The gossip account concluded: Cen Meng, raised with a refined education and a graduate of a prestigious acting school, delivers nuanced performances.
Jiang Ning'an, trained at a renowned overseas drama school and mentored by her actress mother, shines with her skills.
Meanwhile, Ning Yuxuan lacks ambition, skips honing her craft, and relies solely on her mother’s fame to coast through variety shows.
Soon after these posts went up, hired trolls and Cen Meng’s fans swarmed the comments.
["Never realized the gap until now—Ning Yuxuan isn’t even in the same league as the other two! Just a variety show fame-chaser!"]
["Cen Meng and Jiang Ning'an are professionally trained, while Ning Yuxuan probably graduated from some no-name school. Her acting is unbearable."]
["Don’t overestimate these star kids. For all we know, she barely went to school, let alone college. Just riding on her mom’s coattails."]
With public opinion swinging back in Cen Meng’s favor, her fans finally regained their confidence.
But mocking Ning Yuxuan in the comments wasn’t enough for them.
In fan group chats, discussions heated up—
Forever Cen Meng: ["Admin, the public sentiment is on our side now. Should we organize a raid on Ning Yuxuan’s live stream?"]
Meng’s Little Cake: ["Yeah, our Meng Meng suffered so much in her live stream. Shouldn’t Ning Yuxuan get a taste of that too?"]
Cen Meng’s Exclusive Cat: ["Agreed! I’ve prepped ten alt accounts—no fear of getting banned by the mods!"]
For days, as Cen Meng’s fans, they’d been universally ridiculed online, branded as "book thieves" or "homewrecker supporters."
Now that the tide was turning, their enthusiasm reached new heights.
After rallying in the group, the admin finally appeared.
Little Dream Meng: ["I hear you all! Good news—a friend interning at the show told me there’ll be an interactive segment in this afternoon’s live stream."]
Little Dream Meng: ["Let’s all flood Ning Yuxuan’s stream and pay her back for the humiliation we’ve endured!"]
—
At Ning Fei’s home, Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei had finally sorted all 1,000 puzzle pieces by color.
A rustling sound came from the villa’s entrance—Ning Shiyue had returned from his morning work.
He’d already informed the production crew that he’d join the recording by noon.
The crew had set up a fixed camera at the door in advance.
The moment Ning Shiyue stepped inside, his expression turned odd.
The living room speakers were blasting one of his solo tracks at high volume.
After the talent show ended, Ning Shiyue became one of the two most popular contestants, and his agency quickly capitalized on his fame with several singles.
The song playing was a sentimental love ballad, the young man’s voice brimming with earnest emotion as he sang about his crush.
The melody was simple yet catchy, and the lyrics were easy to remember, making it a viral hit on short-video platforms. Many could hum a line or two from the chorus.
But privately, Ning Shiyue cringed at the song’s overly saccharine lyrics.
Hearing his mother and sister play it at full volume in the living room made his skin crawl.
He rushed to the speakers and twisted the volume knob to mute.
The sudden noise made Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei turn to look at him.
Ning Shiyue glared at Ning Yuxuan. "What’s the point of playing my song while filming?"
He didn’t need to guess—this had to be Ning Yuxuan’s idea, just like when she’d dragged Ning Fei into watching his dramas.
Hearing this, Ning Yuxuan slowly stood up and stretched her arms leisurely.
Then, with a completely sincere expression, she looked at Ning Shiyue: "Hmm? Because quietly doing puzzles is a bit too dull, so I thought I'd play some BGM to liven up the mood."
Ning Shiyue continued glaring at Ning Yuxuan: "Then why not just pick any upbeat song? Why this one specifically?"
Ning Yuxuan smiled, her eyes curving like crescents: "Because this one sounds nice."
Ning Shiyue: "..."
[LOL Ning Shiyue definitely didn’t expect Ning Yuxuan’s next line to be a compliment—totally caught him off guard!]
[Taking notes—suddenly praising the other person mid-argument can have unexpected effects.]
[Ning Shiyue is so adorable! Getting flustered after being praised by his sister, haha!]
Ning Yuxuan turned to Ning Fei: "Plus, Mom said this is her favorite song of yours! Right?"
Ning Fei nodded with a smile: "Shiyue sang this one with so much emotion."
The two of them playing off each other left Ning Shiyue even more speechless.
Ning Yuxuan pressed on: "And the melody is super catchy—I only listened to it twice and already memorized it—"
With that, she started humming the first line of the chorus on her own.
When Ning Shiyue heard Ning Yuxuan say she’d sing his song, he inexplicably felt a flicker of anticipation.
Even though he’d always claimed he didn’t want Ning Yuxuan watching his dramas or listening to his music, deep down, he still longed for her approval of his career.
Before, Ning Yuxuan had never shown interest in these things. This was the first time she’d voluntarily offered to sing one of his songs.
But the moment Ning Yuxuan sang the first line, Ning Shiyue’s expression changed.
How could he have forgotten?
His sister had always been tone-deaf.
Back in middle school, Ning Yuxuan had signed up for a singing class, only to return in tears after the first lesson because her classmates had all laughed at her.
Ning Fei wasn’t much of a singer herself, so she’d enlisted her son—Ning Shiyue, the class’s "arts prodigy" since childhood—to help Ning Yuxuan practice.
Those two days of coaching had given young Ning Shiyue his first real taste of defeat.
No matter how hard he tried to teach her, Ning Yuxuan’s off-key singing never improved—in fact, it only got worse.
Luckily, Ning Yuxuan was the type to lose interest quickly, and her passion for singing soon fizzled out. She never asked him for lessons again.
Now, hearing Ning Yuxuan earnestly singing his single, Ning Shiyue was flooded with memories of being tormented by her voice.
Thankfully, Ning Yuxuan stopped after a few lines and asked, "So? How’d I do?"
Ning Shiyue: "..."
He hesitated. "You got the lyrics right..."
But not a single note was on pitch.
[LMAO you can tell Ning Shiyue is trying SO hard to compliment her, but that singing is just impossible to praise.]
[Seriously, if not for the lyrics, I wouldn’t even recognize it as the same song.]
Ning Yuxuan put on a disappointed look. "Just the lyrics? Didn’t I sound good?"
Seeing her pitiful, hopeful eyes, Ning Shiyue was reminded of the time long ago when Ning Yuxuan had hidden in her room crying after being mocked for her singing.
Gritting his teeth, Ning Shiyue said, "It... sounded nice too."
Ning Yuxuan blinked. "Really?"
After a silent pause, Ning Shiyue nodded with the resolve of a doomed man: "Really nice!"
The live chat was in hysterics.
[HAHAHAHA Ning Shiyue, you’ve met your match! Almost forgot how brutally blunt he is on other shows.]
[This has got to be the most forced compliment Ning Shiyue has ever given in his entire career.]
[What can he do? It’s his sister asking!]
The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Just as Ning Shiyue was about to awkwardly change the subject, Ning Yuxuan suddenly burst out laughing, unable to stop.
"PFFFT—Ning Shiyue!" She gasped between laughs. "You should see your face right now—you look like you just swallowed a fly!"
Ning Shiyue’s eyes widened. "You—"
Still giggling, Ning Yuxuan said, "I’ve been tone-deaf for years—you think I don’t know? I was just messing with you! Didn’t expect you to be so sweet!"
Ning Shiyue: "...Ning. Yu. Xuan!"
Seeing him about to explode, Ning Yuxuan quickly ducked behind Ning Fei: "Mom, save me!"
Ning Shiyue wasn’t actually angry, but he couldn’t stand her smugness. "Ning Yuxuan, don’t think hiding behind Mom will save you!"
Ning Yuxuan stuck out her tongue. "Then come get me."
[I’m dying, these two are like toddlers—Ning Fei must be exhausted.]
[Teacher Ning is basically a kindergarten teacher at this point, constantly mediating between these two.]
Ning Fei watched their antics with amused exasperation, all while steadily making progress on the puzzle.
After a while, Ning Yuxuan and Ning Shiyue finally settled down.
Ning Fei had quietly assembled a huge portion of the puzzle, completely unfazed by their chaos.
[LOL Teacher Ning is radiating calm elegance—total opposite energy from the other two.]
[Queen behavior! Unshakable even in this madness!]
Before they knew it, the morning had flown by.
This time, Ning Fei didn’t cook lunch herself, instead asking the housekeeper to prepare a few dishes.
After the meal, the staff announced an interactive segment where the guests would answer live audience questions in their respective streams—the first real-time interaction since the show began.
The viewers went wild, flooding the chat instantly.
[Ning Shiyue! Can you see this? So excited!!]
[Goddess Ning Fei, you’re so beautiful—I love you!]
[Sis Ning Yuxuan, you’re stunning! Notice me, your fan!]
Ning Yuxuan and Ning Shiyue sat on either side of Ning Fei, letting their mom take the lead in answering questions.
The atmosphere was lively as Ning Fei skimmed through the rapid-fire chat, selecting a few to respond to.
One viewer asked: [Teacher Ning, why did you retire from acting ten years ago? Will we ever see you on screen again?]
Ning Fei's tone was calm and gentle: "To be honest, I’ve always been reluctant to leave my acting career. The reason I chose to step away from the entertainment industry these past few years was to shift my focus to family life—to spend more time with Xuanxuan and Xiaoyue. If the right opportunity comes along in the future, I might just return with new projects for everyone."
Truthfully, after so many years away from the industry, having already won all the major awards in her youth, Ning Fei had largely given up on the idea of returning to acting.
But in the previous episode of the show, listening to Jiang Ning'an and Qin Man share their experiences on set had rekindled a small spark in her heart: the hope of one day fully embodying a new character and bringing another story to life.
So when answering audience questions this time, she didn’t hide her thoughts—it was also her way of signaling to the industry that she was open to considering the right script.
Another viewer asked if Ning Fei would appear on more variety shows with her children, expressing how much they’d love to see the family together again.
Ning Fei graciously thanked everyone for their love and support for her and her family.
After answering two more questions, an unexpected wave of unwelcome guests flooded the live chat.
They arrived in droves, spamming the chat with nearly identical messages:
["Ning Yuxuan, stop flaunting your wealth on TV and setting a bad example for minors! Education is what matters—ignorance is shameful!"]
["Ning Yuxuan, go back to school before appearing on shows again. Be a proper role model for young people!"]
...
The sudden surge of hostile comments put everyone on alert.
A staff member quickly signaled to Ning Yuxuan, silently asking if she needed assistance.
Throughout the show’s filming, the Ning family had always been warm and cooperative with the crew, so the team was more than willing to step in if needed.
But Ning Yuxuan seemed unfazed. She merely narrowed her eyes slightly.
Turning to Ning Shiyue with genuine confusion, she asked, "What’s going on with these people? Why are they suddenly telling me to go back to school?"
Ning Shiyue pressed his lips together and shook his head. "No idea."
Having skyrocketed to fame after his debut, he’d faced large-scale smear campaigns before and recognized this as an organized attack.
What puzzled him, though, was why these trolls were fixated on Ning Yuxuan’s education.
If they wanted to criticize her, they should at least get their facts straight—Ning Yuxuan had graduated years ago. What was this nonsense?
What Ning Shiyue didn’t realize was that this was a strategy devised by Cen Meng’s fans in their group chats.
Cen Meng had graduated from a domestic arts college—not one of the most prestigious, but still an accredited institution, so her credentials were unimpeachable.
Meanwhile, Ning Yuxuan’s public profile had never mentioned her education, and she’d once joked about being a "full-time daughter."
Cen Meng’s fans concluded that Ning Yuxuan must lack respectable qualifications, leaving her no choice but to mooch off her family.
With Cen Meng carefully crafting a "cultured" public image, her fans saw education as the perfect angle to undermine Ning Yuxuan.
The barrage of comments continued.
Ning Yuxuan picked one out and read it aloud slowly: "‘Ning Yuxuan, since you refuse to study properly and just leech off your parents, aren’t you worried about corrupting young viewers?’"
After finishing, she curved her lips into a smile. "Dear netizen, I’m not sure why you assume I haven’t studied properly. If that were true, my professors and classmates at A University would be very disappointed."
The audience: "..."
["Wait… A University? As in, that A University?"]
["Seriously? Ning Yuxuan is that brilliant?"]
["A University is literally second only to the top two schools in Beicheng. Is she for real?"]
["So Ning Yuxuan’s actually an academic ace? And Cen Meng had the nerve to trash her while bragging about her own ‘intellect’?"]
["I… initially thought Ning Yuxuan was bluffing, but this is something that can be easily verified. She wouldn’t dare lie, right?"]
Cen Meng’s fans were equally stunned. Their meticulously planned attack had just been effortlessly dismantled by a single sentence.
Ning Yuxuan attended A University?
They couldn’t understand—if she really had such an impressive academic background, why had she never mentioned it publicly before?
Yet Ning Yuxuan’s demeanor left no room for doubt.
The fans hesitated, unsure how to proceed.
Just then, a prominent fan in Cen Meng’s group chat urgently @-ed everyone: ["Attention! Emergency! Our home base is under attack! Stop engaging with Ning Yuxuan and return to Cen Meng’s livestream for backup!"]
Shortly after the Q&A session began in Ning Fei’s stream, Cen Meng had also started interacting with her fans.
But since that morning, speculation about the true owner of Cen Meng’s luxury mansion had been spreading like wildfire.
It started with an anonymous tip claiming that the property was located in Jinshui Bay—and that the registered owner wasn’t the Cen family, but someone with the surname Gu.
Soon, netizens connected the dots, theorizing that the mansion belonged to the Gu family, an old-money dynasty in Beicheng.
Recalling the earlier scandal involving an alleged affair, people began suspecting that Cen Meng’s boyfriend was tied to the Gu family.
Initially, the "mystery boyfriend" had been impossible to identify due to the sheer number of possible candidates, leaving the gossip half-baked.
But with this new lead, more amateur sleuths joined the hunt.
Someone dug up photos of the Gu family at public events and noticed that the eldest grandson, Gu Yunhao, matched the age and physique of the man seen breaking up with Ning Yuxuan in the viral video.
Further comparisons revealed a telling detail: both Gu Yunhao and the man in Cen Meng’s toast photo had a mole on the exact same spot on their right wrists.
Not long after, another sharp-eyed netizen spotted a photo of Gu Yunhao wearing a watch at a charity event.
The image was low-resolution, but the strap’s color scheme matched the limited-edition timepiece visible in Cen Meng’s toast photo.
As evidence piled up, the truth gradually unraveled—
The elusive man at the center of the affair scandal was none other than Gu Yunhao, the Gu family’s heir.
Cen Meng’s claim of having broken up with this boyfriend was likely a lie, given that she was still living in a Gu-owned mansion.
Once the news broke, Cen Meng’s livestream exploded as swarms of netizens rushed in.
"Isn't your boyfriend Gu Yunhao? And aren’t you living in a property owned by the Gu family?"
"Didn’t you say you broke up? Still trying to play the ‘independent woman’ act? How embarrassing."
"Even after the breakup, you’re still living in a luxury home your ex gave you. Do you really think we’re that stupid?"
"Cen Meng, when you lied so shamelessly, did you ever think you’d get exposed like this?"
In an instant, both Cen Meng and Ning Yuxuan’s live streams were buzzing with activity.
One group of netizens was stunned by Ning Yuxuan’s academic background, scrambling to dig up proof that she graduated from the prestigious A University.
Meanwhile, another crowd camped in Cen Meng’s stream, eagerly waiting to see how she would explain her situation with Gu Yunhao.
Once again, the live broadcast of Dear Mom had turned into a full-blown spectacle for online gossip, with viewership numbers skyrocketing.
