Stepmother Reborn: Dad, my mom hasn't hit me for three days

In a blink of an eye, Zhang Xiuhua followed Zhuzhu to the crew to film.

This time, we are shooting an ancient puppet drama. Zhuzhu is a chivalrous woman, wearing a modified version of ancient costume, lively and smart. Although it is similar to an idol drama, there are a lot of fighting scenes.

From time to time, her arms would be scratched, and the hair was even more extreme. The small clips clamped the scalp to keep the hair in place. After filming this scene, she took off the wig and found that many of her hair had fallen out.

Zhang Xiuhua would give her a scalp massage at night, "Filming is not easy at all."

Zhuzhu knew her mother was worried about her, and she didn't think it was a big deal. "I make more money from one play than many people make in their entire lives. It's my duty to endure some hardship."

Zhang Xiuhua thought about it and realized, "No wonder those people are trying so hard to be the leading actor."

She said that the lead actor of this drama was originally in talks with Zhuzhu. After she signed the contract, he was replaced by another actor. When the filming officially started, he was replaced by another actor. These actors really tried their best to grab the role. Their respective companies are even more competitive with each other. Fortunately, Zhuzhu is now popular, and she has Xingyao Media behind her. She has to produce two TV series every year, so she is not afraid of having no dramas to shoot. Otherwise, Zhuzhu would have been replaced by others.

"If a play becomes popular, the pay and endorsements will all go up. My second brother likes to make quick money the most. He made the right choice in this line of work." Zhuzhu still admires Ergou's business acumen.

"Yeah." Zhang Xiuhua was puzzled. "I don't think I've ever seen this male lead in any drama. What dramas has he acted in?"

Zhu Zhu shook her head, "He has only played supporting roles before, this is his first time playing the leading role. His company also wants to train him by partnering with me."

Zhang Xiuhua frowned, "Then whether this TV series can become a hit depends entirely on you, right?"

Although Zhuzhu is very popular, sometimes too much is as bad as too little. If the reputation of Zhuzhu's drama drops, her reputation will also be damaged. Other actors are not popular to begin with, so the quality of the drama has the least impact on them.

Zhuzhu shrugged, "Of course. But working with new actors can also bring new ideas to the audience. Everything is arranged by the company."

Zhang Xiuhua thought about it carefully and it was true. There are pros and cons. If we always work with veteran actors, how can the new actors hone their acting skills?

Half a month later, Zhuzhu took a day off and went to the TV station with Zhang Xiuhua to cheer for Youcai.

The God of Wealth Contest was recorded in the TV station's video studio. The audience was all students from the school. Because the program funding was limited, it was usually recorded on Saturdays and Sundays, so that students would have no classes that day and could continue recording.

One episode of the program needs to be recorded in one day. We gather at 10 am and record until 2 am. Some students cannot wait that long and will leave first. The vacant seats will be filled by people they know. At least there will be no empty seats.

It was not at all strange for Zhang Xiuhua and Wang Juan to sit in the audience. Zhuzhu, as a family member, was responsible for canvassing votes. She would be interviewed later.

There was an audience member sitting behind Zhang Xiuhua. He had been recording since morning and wanted to go back during the break, but he came back after just a while.

The person next to him was very puzzled, "Aren't you going to eat?"

The boy said in a suppressed but excited voice, "I just saw Li Baozhu coming!"

The voice was very low, but the people around still heard it and showed surprise, "Is there still an interview on the station now?"

It was late at night, and other programs had already finished recording. This program had the lowest ratings, and the studio time was limited, so it was recorded the latest.

"No! I heard from the director that he is here to participate in our show."

When the people around heard this, they almost jumped up in excitement. "Really? With such low ratings, how can this show afford a popular actress like Li Baozhu?"

"How could she be invited by the program team?" The boy said disdainfully, "Her brother is a chef. She came here to cheer for her brother."

People around asked, "Which one is her brother?"

It's easy to guess. Since he's the elder brother, he must have the same surname. So two men with the surname Li were picked out. One of them is much older. In his fifties, if he's the father, it's possible.

"Li Youcai? Oh, they don't look alike at all! Is this a mistake?"

"It's normal for siblings to not look alike. I heard they have the same father but different mothers."

Everyone suddenly realized that it was Li Youcai.

Zhang Xiuhua listened to the discussions of the audience, and they all seemed excited. No one felt that Zhuzhu's appearance was unfair to the other contestants.

Next, several chefs started the final round of competition. Zhuzhu also went on stage to canvass for votes as a relative. The audience shouted her name crazily.

After the recording, Zhuzhu flew back without stopping.

Zhuzhu was filming and Zhang Xiuhua couldn't watch TV, so she would buy newspapers every day and follow the news.

Half a month later, Zhang Xiuhua finally saw the front-page headline of Youcai in the newspaper.

The title is "Li Baozhu helps her brother in the cooking competition!"

The photo above is not Youcai, but a still from Zhuzhu's drama. It's good to use her photo. Today, this newspaper is sold out. The God of Cooking Contest didn't even make a splash before, but now it's great.

In the newspaper the next day, Zhang Xiuhua saw a piece of news: "The ratings of the Master Chef Contest have soared to third place, second only to two popular TV series."

The fact that a niche variety show can have such high ratings has to be attributed to Li Baozhu's influence.

Of course, the ratings went up, but some reporters questioned whether Li Baozhu’s support for her brother meant that her brother’s winning the championship was a hollow award.

Many viewers saw this report and started watching this variety show to see if it was true.

After Zhuzhu came to power, she did not canvass for votes as blatantly as others. "My brother has loved cooking since he was a child. He holds the power of cooking in the family and we have to listen to him about what we eat every day. If he is not happy, he will not cook for us."

The audience burst into laughter. Then Zhuzhu said with a smile, "Today is finally my turn to threaten him. If he doesn't do his job well for me, I won't canvass for him!"

This time even the judges laughed out loud.

After the laughter, Zhuzhu said seriously, "Everyone has different tastes. If there is a fan of mine among the judges, I want to tell him that he doesn't have to vote for him just because of me. You should vote for him because you like his food and his creativity. You can't vote for him just because of me."

Youcai wanted to cry but had no tears. He tugged at her sleeve and reminded her in a low voice, "Zhuzhu? Zhuzhu? They are all honest people. What if they don't vote for me if you say that?"

Zhuzhu took two steps to the side and said, "Brother, when we were little you took care of my meals. But now that I've grown up, I rely on my fans for a living. I have to stand on the side of my fans."

After that, she advised Youcai, "Brother, victory and defeat are common in the military. Even if you are not the champion, you are still my brother."

Youcai didn't expect that she would not play by the rules, and sighed helplessly.

The host interviewed him, "Li Youcai, what do you want to say?"

"When I was at home, I persuaded her to come and canvass for me. She said that if she came to canvass for votes, she would be suspected of cheating. But when she learned that no one watched the show, she still agreed to it. So is this how she canvassed for votes?" Youcai spread his hands. Anyone could see that he was tricked by his sister.

The audience burst into laughter again. They thought this brother and sister were so funny. They loved and hated each other.

The host asked him, "Do you regret inviting your sister?"

Youcai thought about it and said, "No regrets."

The host looked surprised, "Why?"

"Her coming here will at least increase the ratings of our show!" Youcai said with a smile, "No matter who wins the championship, I have learned a lot from this show. That's enough."

As soon as he said this, everyone present applauded him. What a generous statement!

Although Zhuzhu did not campaign for Youcai, Youcai still got the most votes in the final vote.

The judges praised Youcai for his innovative cooking skills, and his dishes are modern and improved. Chinese food is about color, fragrance and taste, but he also pays attention to nutrition and deliciousness. The dishes he created are targeted at specific groups of people. For example, patients with hypertension, diabetes, stroke patients, nutritious meals for minors, fat-reducing meals for obese people, etc. These dishes are actually very difficult to make. If you want to ensure nutrition, you can't guarantee its taste. But he did it.

The other guests’ meals were indeed good, but not as innovative as his.

"He really loves cooking. He knows how to meet everyone's needs and keep up with the times."

The audience who watched the show felt that he deserved the title because of his talent. He was indeed capable. However, those who had not watched his show and only read the newspapers felt that he relied on Li Baozhu's fame to get to the top. The two argued fiercely.

The program as a whole ultimately benefited. It is said that when it was rerun later, an advertiser sponsored the program, earning back all the production costs.

Zhang Xiuhua told Zhuzhu all these things during her break from filming.

Zhuzhu smiled and said, "So a good show doesn't necessarily shine. It also has to be topical. What his show lacks is topicality."

Zhang Xiuhua finally understood, "Did you say that on purpose on the show?"

"Of course." Zhuzhu was full of confidence. "What Brother Youcai lacks is not the title of champion, but the fame. His restaurant business will only be good if everyone knows that he is Li Baozhu's brother."

Zhang Xiuhua understood. Does Zhuzhu know her commercial value at such a young age?

She was a little surprised, "Who did you learn this from?"

"Agent, she's an agent in Hong Kong. The entertainment industry there is very developed. There are more than a hundred newspapers. Celebrity gossip is the hottest. Mom, I'm a professional. It's not difficult to make up a news topic." Zhuzhu said with a smile, "Mom, do you want to be famous? I can make you famous too."

Zhang Xiuhua rolled her eyes and said, "Why should I be famous? I don't run a store, I don't want to be a star."

She didn't want to be recognized on the street.

Zhuzhu smiled and said, "Don't you have instant noodles and beer? You are not only Li Baozhu's mother, but also Sister Baolin's mother. Once you show up like this, you will definitely become famous. The brewery and instant noodles will have no worries about lack of business."

Zhang Xiuhua was a little tempted, but after thinking carefully, she didn't manage the factory. What if the reputation was too great and the factory couldn't keep up with the production? Wouldn't that harm the factory? "Forget it. The factory is already doing very well now."

Seeing this, Zhuzhu did not force it.