Mu Zhixing's live-streamed painting session received quite a positive response.
In one live stream, her followers increased from just over 2,000 to 62,000.
The comment section was filled with praise.
"When's your next live stream, baby?"
"This is the first time I've found painting so interesting. I'm planning to join an amateur painting class and then ask our little teacher here to critique my work."
"That 'she can't read' moment was today's highlight. I'm still laughing about it."
"Exactly! The painting master probably never experienced such embarrassment before. Someone tipped thousands of yuan, and she couldn't even read it."
"If everyone hadn't emphasized it so much, I would've forgotten that our baby is a little one not even 7 years old."
"That's incredible."
Qi Zhong selected some of these compliments to share with Mu Zhixing.
The child's cheeks were rosy, but her eyes sparkled brightly.
It was clear that the little one enjoyed being praised, though she was naturally shy.
Faced with such direct and enthusiastic compliments, her face turned bright red.
In one live stream, many people were astounded by Mu Zhixing's talent.
Being able to recreate something almost perfectly after just a glance is an ability even art school students would envy.
No wonder the masters they looked up to were eager to come down from their pedestals to recruit her.
Mu Zhixing's birth parents also watched this live stream.
Her birth father regretted his past decisions, slapping his thigh in frustration.
If he had known about the child's abilities earlier, he should have kept her by his side.
She could have become an internet celebrity, doing live streams and promotions. He'd heard they could earn tens of thousands a month.
But he didn't dare to suggest it.
Mainly because his new wife had a fiery temper.
Ever since she heard that Mu Zhixing had become famous, her first reaction wasn't to bring the child back home.
Instead, she sent their three children to learn painting.
Since the family had this genetic talent, maybe their own children could succeed too.
Moreover, all three of her children were boys.
And the stepmother was the jealous type.
If the children's father praised Mu Zhixing even once, it would infuriate the stepmother.
Unable to bring the talented child home, the birth father could only give up.
Mu Zhixing's birth mother also watched the live stream.
Seeing the once timid little girl now confident and natural, her feelings were complex.
Truthfully, both of the child's parents were good-looking, but the little girl's previously shy personality had hidden her beauty.
Now, under the nurturing care of Starry Sky Kindergarten,
Her appearance had suddenly become outstanding.
She even looked prettier than her younger sister.
When the incident happened in their family, the child's father was sentenced to three months of probation.
The stepfather lost his prestigious job.
The whole family was also evicted from their apartment complex.
Most people are just. The thought of someone so heartless, with evil intentions towards a child,
Made everyone feel disgusted.
So every day, people would come to throw rotten vegetables and rotten eggs.
Whenever this family went out, they would be pointed at and whispered about.
Some even said to their faces, wondering if such a beast would do the same to his own daughter.
Every time she heard these words, Mu Zhixing's birth mother would become furious.
They had no choice but to move away, now living in an old residential building.
She hadn't worked for many years but now had to find a job as an hourly maid.
Her beloved younger daughter, moving from a spacious, bright apartment to an old, shabby place, cried every day.
Moreover, after Mu Zhixing's stepfather's true nature was exposed, his personality changed dramatically.
Gone was his previous gentle and caring demeanor, replaced by frequent outbursts of anger.
Now their home didn't feel like a home, everything falling apart.
They had been too high-profile before.
She regretted some of her words, but whatever happened afterward, she had to grit her teeth and swallow her pride.
Now, seeing Mu Zhixing looking bright and beautiful, she felt a sense of disconnect, as if from another lifetime.
A faint feeling of regret welled up inside her.
But she had learned the power of cyberbullying.
If she were to try and claim her daughter back now, forget everything else, netizens could drown her with their spit alone.
She had finally reached a point where her neighbors didn't know about her past; if it all happened again, she would truly have a mental breakdown.
There was nothing she could do; she had to suppress all her dissatisfaction.
The daughter she once looked down upon now had a bright future ahead of her.
Every word of praise on the screen stung her eyes.
A mix of resentment, jealousy, and complex emotions knotted in her chest.
Soon she felt a tightness in her chest, struggling to breathe.
She had to forcefully push these feelings down. She wanted her younger daughter to learn painting too.
But the little one didn't understand her mother's intentions.
The child was old enough to remember.
She knew there used to be an older sister who liked to paint and was quite good at it.
Whenever the family tried to make her learn, she would throw a tantrum.
Breaking all the watercolor pens and then bursting into tears.
Like a super aggressive child. Every time she would cry until everyone was mentally exhausted, and they had to give up.
In just over a year,
So many changes had occurred in the family.
Looking at Mu Zhixing's mother now, she seemed to have aged ten years.
All the hardships she hadn't experienced in years
Were condensed into these few months.
When the incident first happened,
She had boasted about their unbreakable love, refusing to divorce the man she married later. But after all that had happened,
Now it was a matter of basic necessities.
The family's money was gone too.
And her husband had inexplicably become distant.
He would run off every day with some cheap woman.
Even leaving lipstick marks on his shirt collar, not even trying to hide it.
She couldn't bear this kind of life for a single day.
But she had no money.
She couldn't imagine how she would survive if she left this home with her daughter.
If she left without her daughter, she didn't trust her husband's character.
Life seemed to be dragging her down like a ball of mud, relentless until death.
...
Mu Zhixing knew nothing about what was happening with her birth parents.
Since escaping from that suffocating home, she had come to see Starry Sky Kindergarten as her true home.
Now, with so many people praising her painting skills,
The little one happily went to find Shen Wei.
She even showed Shen Wei the painting from her live stream.
Shen Wei had already watched the child's live stream.
Seeing the little one's face eager for praise, she quickly hugged the child and said, "That's wonderful!"
Mu Zhixing shyly nestled in Shen Wei's embrace: "I'm giving it to you!"
The child's paintings were her most prized possessions.
Previously, Qi Zhong had repeatedly instructed her not to give her paintings away casually.
However, there was one exception. It was Shen Wei.
As long as Shen Wei liked it, Mu Zhixing would have gladly drawn 10 or 20 more pictures on the spot.
Even Qi Zhong felt a bit jealous of this affection.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
After all, Shen Wei was the one who had pulled her out of the fire. While he might be jealous, he knew deep down that he couldn't compare to her.
Shen Wei said, "Thank you, sweetheart!"
Then she put away the child's drawings.
Mu Zhixing gathered her courage and said, "What else do you like? I'll draw it for you next time!"
After speaking, she lowered her head shyly but secretly glanced at Shen Wei from the corner of her eye.
Shen Wei said, "I love everything you draw, darling."
The little one suddenly perked up as if energized and said, "Alright then, I'll keep drawing for you forever."
She skipped out of the room, clearly in high spirits.
Shen Wei watched her retreating figure, a smile playing on her lips.
Her heart had softened beyond measure.
Indeed, places with children were the most healing.
