Mom's Back. The Villain Triplets Are in Trouble.

Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Caught Off Guard

Huo Xinghai was stunned for a moment, then let out a sarcastic scoff. ”Look at her, from head to toe. Does she look anything like a mother? And my biological one, at that? My real mom would be almost fifty this year!”

Gu Qingyin looked down at herself—canvas sneakers, wide-leg pants, and a form-fitting T-shirt.

People would believe she was a college student who hadn’t even graduated yet.

But...

Gu Qingyin strode forward and gave Huo Xinghai another hard slap, scolding, ”Don’t you project your stereotypes onto me! This is what your mom is like!”

Tears welled up in Huo Xinghai’s eyes. It hurt, and he was furious, yet he felt so wronged that he didn’t dare to fight back.

The flicker of compassion Huo Xingye rarely felt finally surfaced. He opened the paternity test report on his phone and shoved it in Huo Xinghai’s face. ”Want me to read it to you?”

Huo Xinghai froze. He took the phone, looked it over several times, then glanced back up at Gu Qingyin.

Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him and curse, ”You pretty-faced idiot.”

’He clearly looks the most like me, yet he didn’t inherit an ounce of my high IQ.’

Huo Xinghai’s eyes widened again. He belatedly realized that Gu Qingyin’s features looked familiar—especially her eyebrows and the shape of her lips. They were practically identical to his!

Gu Qingyin grew annoyed just looking at his dazed expression. She snorted and turned her face away, only for a clear, crisp ”Mom!” to ring out by her ear.

Gu Qingyin froze.

The next second, Huo Xinghai lunged forward, fell to his knees at her feet, and hugged her legs, his eyes welling with tears. ”Mommy!”

Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but shudder, goosebumps breaking out all over her skin.

’Huo Xinghai accepted this way too quickly! One second he was refusing to believe it even if it killed him, and the next he’s on his knees calling her ’Mommy,’ and with the cute version, too!’

Compared to Huo Xingye, his cry of ”Mommy” felt so cheap.

Gu Qingyin forced a smile. ”Excuse me, but what number am I in your lineup of mothers?”

With tears in his eyes, Huo Xinghai said, ”I didn’t have a mom of my own before, so it didn’t matter how many I acknowledged. But now I do!” He pulled his phone from his pocket, typed furiously, then held it up for Gu Qingyin to see. ”From now on, you’re my one and only mom!”

Gu Qingyin looked closer and saw that Huo Xinghai had actually posted on Weibo.

[I want to join the show with my mom. You guys wouldn’t disagree, would you? @Happy Family

P.S. A solemn declaration! I, Huo Xinghai, have only one mom in this life! ’Mommy’ fans, please show some self-respect!]

Gu Qingyin felt the urge to facepalm. ’What is all this? Why does this feel so embarrassing?’

Her phone chimed with a notification. It was a repost and comment from Happy Family, and the production team’s excitement was palpable in their reply.

[We await the arrival of the top-tier star!!!]

”What show is this?” Huo Xingye had also seen the post. He had a bad feeling.

”The hottest family travel reality show in the country! Three families per season. My rival is on this season, and when I ran into him a few days ago, he mocked me for not having a mom.” Huo Xinghai was furious on the inside, but looked aggrieved. ”I’m not a kid without a mom!”

Hearing this, Gu Qingyin felt both angry and heartbroken. She immediately forgot her earlier displeasure and nodded firmly. ”Mom will go on the show with you. I’d like to see just how much nerve your rival has to bully my son!”

Huo Xinghai immediately beamed. ”Mom, you’re the best!”

Huo Xingye sighed helplessly. ’Didn’t we agree to make the announcement together after the third brother gets back? Now the second brother is taking Gu Qingyin on a show. What if the third brother thinks Mom is playing favorites?’

’He knew about the second brother’s rival. Setting aside their past conflicts, just for mocking his brother for not having a mom, the guy deserved a lesson he would never forget.’

’In the past, he would have been the one to handle this kind of thing. Now, it seemed, that wasn’t necessary.’

’With Gu Qingyin around, this show would undoubtedly be the most enjoyable one the second brother had ever done since his debut.’

’Oh well. Things had already come to this. They could only take it one step at a time.’

’If they explained it properly, the third brother would probably listen, right?’

But then he thought of his third brother’s stubborn-as-a-mule personality, and Huo Xingye wasn’t so sure anymore.

The production team moved incredibly fast. That very evening, they went to Huo Xinghai’s company with a contract, ready to sign.

Huo Xinghai’s agent, Jian Xilin, was dumbfounded. He smiled politely at the production team, then stepped out of the room, his expression turning blank as he opened Weibo. He then sucked in a sharp breath.

’Has Huo Xinghai lost his mind? Faking a mother just to compete with his rival!’

Frantic and furious, he dialed Huo Xinghai’s number. ”You need to—right now! Immediately! Instantly!—delete that Weibo post, then issue a clarification. Just say you lost a game of Truth or Dare!”

”You’ll still get flamed, but at least you’ll get a reputation for being a good sport. That’s way better than being exposed for hiring an actress to play your mom later on!”

Huo Xinghai laughed. After working together for so many years, he knew Jian Xilin well and understood what he was worried about.

He couldn’t resist consoling him with a hint of showing off. ”Relax. She’s not hired. She’s my real mom.”

Jian Xilin: ’Huh? Do you hear yourself? Where the hell would you get a real mom from!’

In the end, after Huo Xinghai’s repeated assurances, Jian Xilin signed the contract with the production team.

Of course, the main reason was that Huo Xingye had sent him a message, telling him to finalize the arrangement as soon as possible.

’With President Huo’s guarantee, even if she was a hired mom, he, Jian Xilin, had nothing to fear!’

The people from the production team were overjoyed. Before leaving, they announced that the first live broadcast would be this Saturday, starting from the celebrity’s home. They would pay a visit then to pick up the guests and take them to the airport.

Jian Xilin smiled and nodded. ”Alright. I’ll send you the address shortly.”

’Huo Xinghai’s own place definitely wouldn’t work. It screamed ’bachelor pad’ and had none of the warmth of a family home.’

Jian Xilin thought sarcastically, ’She’s his ’real mom,’ isn’t she? How much more reasonable would it be to film a family show at the mother’s house.’

As he thought this, his hands didn’t stop moving; he asked Huo Xinghai for the address.

Jian Xilin sent the message casually. As he typed, his mind was already racing, trying to figure out which of Huo Xinghai’s properties would be most believable as his mother’s home. If all else failed, they could always borrow one from President Huo.

But before he could even come up with a plan, Huo Xinghai sent him an address, plain and simple.

Jian Xilin paused, then sneered. ’That little brat. He actually came fully prepared this time.’

’In that case, he absolutely couldn’t be the one to drag him down.’

’He had to prepare for the worst and draft the best PR statements. That way, even if they were on the brink of death, he could launch a counterattack from the jaws of defeat!’

「In the blink of an eye, Saturday arrived.」

At seven in the morning, the livestream went live. New and old viewers flooded in, causing the feed to freeze for over ten seconds before it stabilized. What followed was a dense barrage of comments.

[Haibao’er!! Mommy’s here!!]

[?? Huo Xinghai still has ’mommy’ fans? Have some self-respect!]

[Him not allowing it is his business. Me wanting to be one is my business.]

[Just so you all know!!]

[I’d like to see what Haibao’er’s real mom is like, and whether she’s worthy of my son.]

”Hello! I’m your host, Da Hai! Long time no see, everyone!” A young man appeared on the stream with a huge smile on his face, his voice filled with anticipation. ”And now, let’s take a tour of top-tier star Huo Xinghai’s home!”