It was probably because they had a mountain to climb that afternoon. After checking in at the Ancient Tomb Museum that morning, Director Zhang still had a little humanity left in him and didn’t put his guests through any more torment.
The main event was the mountain climb. Without enough physical strength and a good mental state, things could easily go wrong.
Director Zhang had been filming outdoor programs for years and had always put everyone’s safety first!
Although he enjoyed putting his guests through the wringer, he would only do so after ensuring their safety.
That afternoon, Director Zhang calculated the timing carefully before setting off for Mount Laojun. His goal was to watch the sunset from the summit.
By seven o’clock, the guests had finally reached the top after hurrying as fast as they could.
By the time they arrived, Xie Wanwan, Su Xiaoye, and the other kids who rarely exercised were all panting heavily, practically exhausted.
The summit was at a high elevation, and the temperature dropped by 0.6 degrees Celsius for every one-hundred-meter increase in altitude.
That meant it was considerably colder at the summit than at the foot of the mountain. With the strong wind blowing as well, it felt even chillier.
Once everyone stopped moving after reaching the top, the heat in their bodies stopped building, and the cold immediately set in.
Lu Huaiyu quickly took the thin jackets he had prepared for his two kids out of his backpack and put them on them. A sudden shift from hot to cold could easily lead to catching a cold.
Only after everyone had put on their jackets did they begin to enjoy the breathtaking view that could only be seen after climbing for several hours to the summit.
The sun was sinking in the west, its afterglow spilling across the Taoist temples atop the Golden Summit. The evening clouds stretched endlessly across the horizon, while the occasional flock of birds swept past, adding a bold stroke to this magnificent scene.
Xie Tangning linked her left arm through her eldest brother’s and held her second brother’s hand with her right. The three siblings had promised to take pictures that would look amazing, but at that moment, not one of them raised a phone.
Instead, they quietly took in the scenery with their eyes and their hearts. With family and friends by their side, what more could they ask for?
Though the three siblings made no particular moves, someone behind them was recording the moment.
Yao Hao immediately directed the two camera operators to find the perfect positions and angles, capturing one stunning shot after another.
The magnificent scenery, their most important family, and their truest friends were all frozen in time at that moment.
Feeling the evening breeze from the mountaintop, Xie Tangning’s little face was filled with ease and joy. “Big Brother, let’s come back here to take a family portrait next time!”
Lu Huaiyu naturally had no reason to refuse. “Sure. Next time, we’ll pick another day with weather this good and come back.”
Xie Changyu offered him a mischievous suggestion. “Exactly. It doesn’t matter if Great-Grandpa can’t climb up. We can just Photoshop him into the picture!”
“It’ll still be a perfectly happy family portrait!”
Lu Huaiyu shook his head, trying to rattle the water out of his brain. “I knew calling you a stupid mutt wasn’t an insult for nothing. Didn’t you see the cable cars over there?”
“Do you really think I can’t afford the fare?”
Xie Tangning secretly poked her eldest brother. “Big Brother, the elevation here is over two thousand meters. Great-Grandpa’s frail old body might not be able to handle it!”
Even with a medical team accompanying them, there would still be risks. There was no need to make the old man suffer just to satisfy one of his grandchildren’s casual, wildly imaginative ideas.
Lu Huaiyu froze for two seconds. Then he rubbed the head of Xie Changyu, who had nearly been shaken dizzy, and sincerely apologized. “Oh… sorry. Big Brother was wrong.”
“I was so focused on getting back at you that I forgot to consider the altitude!”
Xie Changyu: “…”
“Ahhh! Big Brother! I knew you were the one who liked me best in the whole world! Otherwise, why would you always be the first to tease me instead of Xie Xiaoning?”
When it came to words he didn’t like hearing, Xie Changyu was exceptionally good at automatically transforming them into words he did like.
Lu Huaiyu: “…”
Well… as long as the kid was happy.
Seeing this, the little runt Xie Tangning immediately began fighting for attention. She let go of the arm she had been clinging to and declared, “Who says you’re the one Big Brother likes best? Big Brother and I are the ones who like each other best!”
“Big Brother always teases you, but he praises me. That proves you’re just fooling yourself!”
Xie Changyu was displeased. He immediately ran to Lu Huaiyu’s left side and hugged his arm. “He’s the one Big Brother likes best!”
“I’m his only younger brother. If he doesn’t like me, who else is he going to like? There’s a saying that goes, ‘Beating is affection, scolding is love.’ A little brat like you obviously wouldn’t understand!”
Xie Tangning stuck her tongue out at him. “If love isn’t enough, kick him! Big Brother, kick him! Bleh!”
Xie Changyu immediately bared his teeth at the child in return. Then he stretched out his long leg and lightly kicked her short leg. “Then I’ll give you a kick first!”
“That proves how much love your second brother has for you. See? It’s overflowing!”
Unwilling to lose, Xie Tangning instantly kicked back with her short leg, but she fell just short of hitting him.
That only made her angrier. She immediately switched to kicking like a little rabbit, trying to defeat the master with a flurry of random blows.
Although her legs were short, she had the advantage in quantity, and she actually managed to land several kicks.
Xie Changyu looked at the little footprints that had appeared on his pants. The kicks hadn’t hurt at all and were clearly just playful. He let out a snort of laughter.
“You little brat! Your legs are short, so now you’re resorting to cheating?”
“You’re the one with short legs!” Xie Tangning kicked him again. “These long legs of mine could send you flying!”
Xie Changyu gave a disdainful laugh and used one hand to indicate a very short distance. “Yeah, those ‘long legs’ of yours sure are long!”
Then he raised his foot and returned the favor with a large footprint on the child, his face full of shameless provocation.
Xie Tangning grabbed Lu Huaiyu’s arm and leaned halfway around him to get revenge.
Xie Changyu dodged while kicking back, and the two of them carried on their lively tussle.
Caught between them, with both kids refusing to let go of his arms, Lu Huaiyu had three black lines appear at his temples as he was rocked back and forth.
These two little brats were unbelievably energetic—and strong as oxen!
The two children tugged at him so hard that he nearly lost his balance. Lu Huaiyu had no choice but to lift Xie Tangning by the arm with one hand and push Xie Changyu away with the other.
Only after separating the two kids, who had become completely absorbed in their roughhousing and were starting to get carried away, did he finally let out a breath of relief.
Xie Tangning’s feet dangled off the ground as she inexplicably hung from her eldest brother’s arm. She looked at him with a head full of question marks, as if asking, What are you doing?
After being pushed a short distance away, Xie Changyu glanced at the child hanging from his brother’s arm and then looked at Lu Huaiyu in disbelief.
The expression on the second brother’s face, which was easy to read when he was upset, clearly said: Why did you only pick her up and not me? Have we really fallen this far?
Lu Huaiyu swept him a speechless glance. “What are you looking at? If you weren’t built like a bamboo pole, I would’ve picked you up too!”
Do you think I don’t want to pick you up?!
You’re as tall as a mountain and built like a bull, you idiot. And you still expect me to carry you around like a kitten?!
Only someone with a decade-long brain clot could come up with an idea like that!
Xie Changyu looked at the Shorty in his eldest brother’s hand and mocked him without mercy. “Hey, Big Brother called you a Little potato…”
“Oh—”
Before he could finish, Xie Changyu covered his head and let out a squeal like a pig, earning a loving smack from his dear eldest brother!
It was a vivid demonstration of what people meant by: Beating is affection, scolding is love!
Lu Huaiyu glared at him fiercely. “Try twisting my words again, and I’ll knock every last bit of water out of your skull!”
Xie Tangning, who had just been about to make a scene, was instantly satisfied. She kicked her legs twice and landed back on the ground, then turned to her second brother with a smug grin. “Wow~ Such profound love from Big Brother~”
“I’m so jealous of you~ I guess I’m simply not worthy of receiving all this overflowing love~”
“Ow~”
The moment the little brat finished teasing him, she, just like her second brother, received a loving show of affection from their dear eldest brother.
