Grandma 09

It was just that Grandma referred to her friend as "old thing."

But things were getting more and more interesting.

Lin Meilan had finally scraped together enough money to compensate Wang Tao. She didn’t want to pay, but she still needed Wang Tao’s help. After a round of sweet talk, Wang Tao agreed. Lin Meilan had also figured out the crux of the problem—she hadn’t been on her home turf!

As long as she was in her own domain, she was confident she could deliver the desired effect.

Come on, the last abandoned young man had become a successful entrepreneur, hadn’t she managed to get him to reunite with his biological parents on her show? The setting, the moral high ground, the emotional music—each was her winning weapon.

They were all prepared. Now, all they needed was to invite Fang Zhiyi to the set. Just a kid—she refused to believe she couldn’t handle him.

But after submitting the application, there was no response for a long time. Wang Tao grew impatient and was considering whether to go to the supervisor’s office to push for it when she spotted a small figure. Rubbing her eyes, she thought—Fang Zhiyi? What was he doing here?

Then it dawned on her. Something must have gone wrong in the process. Her application had been approved, and the field team had brought the boy in but forgotten to notify her.

But it was still early. She glanced around, confirming Fang Zhiyi was alone, and walked over. She might as well prep the kid in advance.

Fang Zhiyi froze when he saw her, then lowered his head.

Wang Tao smirked inwardly. Kid, didn’t expect to see me again, huh?

She pulled Fang Zhiyi into her office. The boy seemed docile—probably only bold when his grandma was around. She had to make things clear to him now.

"Zhiyi, do you know what Auntie wants to talk to you about?" Wang Tao asked with a fake smile.

Fang Zhiyi nodded, then shook his head nervously. "You want to take me away from my grandma."

Wang Tao scoffed. "Wrong. It’s about reuniting you with your mother."

"That’s not my mother. I don’t have a mother."

"How can you say that? Your mother has always loved you," Wang Tao said patiently.

Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "She doesn’t love me." He looked at Wang Tao. "Auntie, how much money did my mother give you?"

"What money?" Wang Tao frowned, then suddenly noticed Fang Zhiyi making a gesture—she realized it was a camera. "That’s none of your business. Your mother should pay."

"Anyway, remember this: when you’re on the show, you’ll acknowledge your mother. Got it?"

"No."

"You little—" Wang Tao grew impatient.

"I’ll wait for my grandma to come."

The mere thought of that old woman made Wang Tao uneasy. Her reputation couldn’t be ruined by that old thing. Her tone hardened. "Do you think your grandma can protect you forever? What kind of son refuses his own mother?"

"But she never raised me. She ran away when I was little."

"She’s back now! You’re too young to understand an adult’s struggles."

Fang Zhiyi suddenly asked coldly, "Auntie, what if I refuse?" His gaze turned icy.

Wang Tao frowned. This kid had clearly been corrupted by that old woman—stubborn as a mule. "You have to agree. No one refuses my show."

"I won’t. My grandma will come."

Wang Tao laughed in frustration, dropping all pretense. "Don’t worry, I have plenty of ways to handle this. You think your unreasonable grandma can save you? Listen, just follow the script. After the show, do whatever you want."

Fang Zhiyi looked scared. "What if my mother abuses me?"

Wang Tao smirked. "Even if she does, she’s still your mother! Forget about your grandma. The audience is all arranged. Just stick to the script." She stood up to get ready.

Fang Zhiyi pressed again, "So you don’t care whether my mother or my grandma treats me better?"

Wang Tao applied her lipstick. "Not my problem! My job is to deliver a show, not play judge for your family. You think I have time to investigate every case? This isn’t a courtroom! Kids like you are a dime a dozen—I always get them in line. So behave yourself."

She seemed to realize she’d said too much. "Forget it, you’re just a kid. You wouldn’t understand. This is my job."

"So your job is to emotionally blackmail people? Force them back into the arms of relatives who don’t love them?" Fang Zhiyi stood up.

"Hah, so what? You’re quite sharp for a kid." Wang Tao admired herself in the mirror. "Maybe you’ll crack the code to popularity someday. People eat this stuff up. Don’t forget who set you straight."

Fang Zhiyi walked to the door and opened it. Wang Tao called after him, "Don’t wander off! The show’s about to start!"

But before she could enter the studio, she was summoned to the supervisor’s office.

"Boss, I’m about to go live! What’s the matter?" Wang Tao wasn’t particularly respectful even to her superior, given her popularity.

The supervisor behind the desk snatched the application form and hurled it at her face. Wang Tao caught it before it hit the ground, then her eyes widened—the form was still here. So then, Fang Zhiyi...

Applause erupted from the TV nearby.

Wang Tao saw someone she never wanted to see—a rival host from a competing gossip show for seniors, whose boss was her supervisor’s sworn enemy.

"After thorough investigation, we’ve uncovered the truth. This woman is unemployed, living with her boyfriend, who also has a criminal record."

The balding host gestured, and a heavily blurred interview clip played. They had investigated Lin Meilan and Ma Tiao’s relationship, gathering testimonies about the couple.

According to these accounts, Lin Meilan and Ma Tiao were utterly worthless.

"Since we couldn’t invite Ms. Lin, this is how we’ve chosen to present her background." The host turned to Zhao Yumei, seated beside him. "Sister Zhao, do you have anything to add?"

Zhao Yumei, shedding her usual fierceness, dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. "All I want is to protect my grandson and raise him well. How could I hand him over to a stranger?"

"And let’s be clear—Ms. Lin doesn’t want the child. She wants money. With some unethical hosts emotionally manipulating the situation, this could ruin a child’s life."

The supervisor’s face was dark. "Do you realize you were just broadcast live on TV?"

"What?" Wang Tao paled in horror.