Seeing Zhao Shumin's firm attitude, Liu Mingcheng could only agree, resolving to keep an eye out for opportunities himself as well.
Though worried, he fully supported his wife's return to work. They had both started from the very bottom as background actors. They knew better than anyone how difficult that life was.
He only added, "If you schedule an audition, tell me in advance. I'll clear my schedule and go with you."
Zhao Shumin snorted lightly. "You'll stay home and take care of the baby."
Liu Mingcheng smacked his forehead. "I almost forgot about my precious daughter!"
They had just finished eating. Liu Mingcheng pulled the stroller over, bent down, and teased Zhao Jun in an exaggerated falsetto.
"Junjun~ Say it with me — ma~ ma~"
Zhao Jun cooperated enthusiastically. "Waa~ waa~"
[Practicing language. +1 Line Delivery XP]
"(⊙o⊙) Waa waa waa waa!" Zhao Jun hurriedly cried out a few more times, but the system gave no further response.
Liu Mingcheng laughed and said something terrifying: "So smart! We'll send you to school tomorrow."
"What are you saying? Don't scare the baby." Zhao Shumin had just finished eating and happened to hear him. She elbowed him lightly.
"Waaaaa——" Zhao Jun immediately began fake-crying the moment she saw her mother.
Zhao Shumin hurried over, scooped her up, and gently grabbed Zhao Jun's flailing little hand to swat Liu Mingcheng's arm.
"Oh, oh, don't cry. We won't go to school. We'll wait a few years before kindergarten~ Daddy's bad — shall we hit Daddy?"
[Practicing fake crying. +1 Acting XP]
Zhao Jun hummed in satisfaction and stopped the moment she got her XP.
"She understands? Can a baby this small really understand?" Liu Mingcheng leaned closer, only to be pushed away by his wife.
"She can definitely sense the difference in your tone," Zhao Shumin said, pressing her cheek against Zhao Jun's chubby face. "Even babies are very sensitive. Don't say things like that again."
"I know, I was wrong. Daddy won't tease you like that again~" Liu Mingcheng apologized sincerely.
Zhao Jun responded by blowing bubbles. He scratched his nose awkwardly and went to wash the dishes.
Zhao Shumin sat on the sofa holding Zhao Jun, softly humming a slow lullaby.
Zhao Jun's eyelids grew heavy. Accompanied by her mother's gentle singing, she drifted into sleep.
Zhao Jun didn't sleep for long before waking again.
Newborns grew hungry every two or three hours. They spent most of the day sleeping, eating small amounts frequently.
That was why new parents were often exhausted — feeding several times throughout the night.
Zhao Jun, however, was a good baby. She didn't fuss at night. After her final feeding at midnight, she would sleep until six in the morning. During the New Year stay at her grandparents' house, her parents would feed her late at night, and her grandparents would handle the early morning feeding before going for their walk.
Now, with only the two of them caring for her, things might become more challenging.
"Ahhh!" Zhao Jun called loudly to remind her mother she was awake and ready for milk.
Instead, an unfamiliar face appeared above her.
The stranger praised, "Such a beautiful baby. She looks like both of you — face shape and mouth like you, eyes and nose like Xiao Liu."
"Haha, really? Everyone says that." Zhao Shumin smiled as she stood up to prepare formula. "Sit down first, Sister Li."
In her mind, Zhao Jun tried to combine her father's upper face with her mother's lower face but couldn't quite picture what she herself looked like.
Her parents were considered good-looking among ordinary people — campus heartthrob and beauty-level attractive — but in the entertainment industry, that wasn't enough.
Liu Mingcheng was 180 cm tall, square-jawed, and upright-looking — often cast as soldiers in anti-Japanese war dramas. Zhao Shumin had an oval face, willow-leaf eyes, and fair skin. She didn't quite fit the currently popular "pure and innocent white lotus heroine" aesthetic, so she often played concubines in historical dramas or mistresses in Republican-era shows.
Zhao Shumin brought the bottle over. Once Zhao Jun began drinking, she continued chatting with Sister Li.
Sister Li seemed to be introducing a role.
"It's the mother of a consort — an official's wife. A palace intrigue drama. Several scenes: childhood memories, before entering the palace, and one where the consort has given birth and her mother visits her in the palace.
"I'll talk to the casting director. Bring the baby along — saves them from finding another child actor. As long as you pass the audition, that's enough."
"Yes, yes, thank you, Sister Li." Zhao Shumin agreed quickly. Any role was good right now — and this was even a major supporting special contract role.
Sister Li waved it off. "No need to thank me. We're all from the same hometown — it's not easy out here. Didn't you coach Xiao Zheng for two days at the end of last year? Right after you went home for New Year, she passed her special contract audition. She'd failed six or seven times before that. She said she'd treat you to dinner. I've got a few others too — if you have time, help train them…"
Zhao Shumin agreed repeatedly.
After settling the role details and leaving a box of milk behind, Sister Li departed.
Once she was gone, Zhao Shumin scooped up her daughter and spun in place.
"Junjun is Mommy's lucky star! It's a major special contract role! I thought I'd have to start from background acting again. This is wonderful!"
Zhao Jun babbled a few unintelligible syllables, which Zhao Shumin took as a reply. She kissed her daughter's cheeks over and over.
Zhao Jun tried to tilt her head to dodge but failed. She endured obediently.
Hmph. Since it's Mom, I'll allow it. If it were Dad, I wouldn't let him kiss me this many times.
After putting her down, Zhao Shumin began rehearsing in front of the living room mirror.
She didn't know the lines yet, so she imagined them.
Once a daughter entered the palace, it was like stepping into a sea — family outside rarely saw her again. Their reunion would surely be emotional.
And now the daughter had given birth — that added joy.
If it were a father seeing a granddaughter instead of a grandson, there might be regret. But a mother would only worry for her daughter. Family interests could wait.
After becoming a mother herself, Zhao Shumin understood such a role much more deeply.
She jotted down a brief character background in a notebook and began performing before the mirror.
Even if it was just a small role, she had standards.
"My daughter…"
[Observed LV.87 Acting on-site. You gained insight. +870 Acting XP. Acting upgraded to LV.5. Detection Function unlocked — you can now view others' attributes.]
[Observed LV.132 Line Delivery. Due to inability to speak, comprehension incomplete. +10 Line Delivery XP.]
A translucent panel appeared above her mother's head.
Zhao Shumin, 28 years old
Acting: LV.87
Line Delivery: LV.132
Music: LV.103
Expression Management: LV.82
Deportment: LV.83
…
Zhao Jun kicked her legs indignantly.
Her XP!
But since it was Mom, there would be plenty of chances to learn.
Mom had majored in broadcasting — no wonder her Line Delivery was so strong. What about Dad? What was he best at? Could she learn from him too?
After testing the new feature, Zhao Jun discovered the Detection Function required a certain level of familiarity. She couldn't just scan random strangers on the street.
The higher someone's Affinity toward her, the more detailed their panel appeared.
Otherwise, she could only see the abilities they outwardly displayed. For example, when watching actors on TV, she could roughly see their Acting and Line Delivery levels, but not other skills like musical instruments.
It was essentially a precise numerical quantification of others' abilities.
Busy practicing, Zhao Shumin forgot about Zhao Jun.
Zhao Jun waved her empty bottle but failed to get her mother's attention.
She frowned, about to fake-cry for skill practice — but then reconsidered.
This wasn't her first time being someone's daughter. But it was her mother's first time being a mother. Inexperience was normal. She should be tolerant.
Full and sleepy, Zhao Jun tossed the bottle aside, hugged her small blanket, and gradually fell asleep.
When she woke again, it was already late at night.
Muted voices drifted through the apartment.
"I'll make you a late-night snack. Go shower first," Mom said.
"Sit down, I'll handle it," Dad replied. A soft door closing sound followed — he was home.
"It's fine, just putting things in the pot isn't hard. I'll steam some buns for you and mix some formula for Junjun."
Soon after, the old water heater in the rental kitchen began rattling.
Zhao Jun blinked. What time was it?
Her mother approached with a bottle, intending to wake her so she could eat and avoid waking later — but found Zhao Jun already staring at her.
"Is Junjun hungry? Come drink your milk~"
Held at an angle to prevent choking, Zhao Jun was carried a few steps before Zhao Shumin's arm grew tired. She sat on the sofa, facing the kitchen door to keep an eye on the stove.
Liu Mingcheng came out toweling his hair, surprised to see both wife and daughter awake.
He went to the kitchen, transferred several steamed buns onto a plate, and sat in the living room to eat.
"Junjun's having a midnight snack too? Daddy will eat with you."
Childishly, he tapped his plate gently against her bottle.
"Cheers~"
"Ahh~" Zhao Jun pushed her bottle forward slightly.
She opened her father's panel.
Liu Mingcheng, 28 years old
Acting: LV.89
Line Delivery: LV.80
Deportment: LV.83
Expression Management: LV.79
Management: LV.131
…
Dad and Mom were roughly similar in skill level. What was the industry standard?
Zhao Shumin wiped milk from Zhao Jun's mouth with a handkerchief. "She wakes up on her own at night now. Probably formed a biological clock."
"That's good." Liu Mingcheng swallowed a bite of bun. "Makes nights easier for us. Let's observe for a few days. If she keeps sleeping steadily, we can alternate early and late feedings."
Zhao Shumin nodded and told him about the audition in a few days.