After greeting the audience with utmost sincerity, the guests all wore sly smiles at the corners of their mouths in perfect unison.
It was obvious they had deliberately put on such a formal act to trick the audience into crying.
All one could say was that people were at their most in sync when they were up to no good.
How could Director Zhang fail to see through their wicked intentions? He secretly rolled his eyes, though his lips were curved in a thoroughly indulgent smile.
“All right, all right, don’t be so sentimental!”
“Although today is the final day of filming for our show, it isn’t the last day you’ll be able to watch it!”
“The prerecorded, edited episodes will be airing soon! Those of you who haven’t had your fill of our adorable viewers don’t need to worry~”
Director Zhang really did know how to soothe people’s hearts. At the same time, he seized the opportunity to promote the upcoming prerecorded episodes.
After hearing his words, the audience was indeed comforted. They promptly turned their attention to those few bizarre creatures.
They called the lot of them crazy and began questioning their own taste in idols. The show was already coming to an end, yet these people were still acting completely unhinged!
It was a rare sight. The audience, who usually spoiled these kids rotten, had finally changed their tune.
That is, if one ignored the requests for links that followed.
After breakfast, Xie Tangning boarded the van while playing with the miniature weapon prop in her hand. It could sing and light up.
Wu Weixiang eyed the little gadget enviously, so he turned around and snatched the matching miniature “Nine-Toothed Rake” from his own son.
He was utterly fascinated by the half-meter-long prop, his tone filled with awe at the wonders of modern technology.
“This is so advanced? It can even change songs? Where can I buy one? Is there a link?”
Shen Hao let out a teasing “Oh?” “Planning to buy a few more for Little Leo to play with? Such a loving father?!”
His tone was full of disbelief. Clearly, he knew all too well that Wu Weixiang’s fatherly love often came crashing down like a landslide.
Wu Weixiang was silent for two seconds before answering honestly, “I wouldn’t go that far!”
“I’m just thinking of buying a few more to bring home. Then whenever I’m in a bad mood, I can make my Little Chubby hold this little thing and sing and dance for me to cheer me up!”
“If my family didn’t live in Hong Kong, I suppose using it to give him a complete childhood wouldn’t be out of the question!”
Wu Dacheng, whose prop had just been snatched away, suddenly heard this and his eyes went round.
“Dad, am I really your biological son?”
Wu Weixiang ruffled his hair. “Of course you are. If you were anything less than my own flesh and blood, you wouldn’t be getting treatment this good!”
Monkey Bro happened to be passing by on his way to board another van. He immediately came over to gloat.
“Little Fatty, you heard that, right? The oxygen tube, remember?”
“Only a biological son gets treatment like this, wouldn’t you agree, Uncle?”
Wu Weixiang: “…”
Old Demon Pill gave an enigmatic chuckle before turning around and reporting to Liang Jiaqing, “Sister Qing, your son said that once you’re old, he’ll pull out your oxygen tube!”
“He also said that this kind of treatment is reserved for a biological aunt!”
Liang Zhou: “!!!”
Holy crap, the older generation really knew how to fight dirty!
They went straight for the kill!
“Uncle, you’re seriously something else when it comes to making things up!”
“Ms. Liang, I’m sorry! I’ll never stir up trouble again! This time, it really was Uncle Weixiang slandering me!”
“As a model student and an upstanding young man, how could I possibly say something so outrageous? I wouldn’t dream of doing anything but honor you!”
Monkey Bro’s second rule for survival: bend when necessary, and say whatever people want to hear!
Liang Jiaqing came over, cursing as she dragged him toward the van. “Could you stop stirring up trouble everywhere you go?”
“Anyone who didn’t know better would think our Liang family had a crooked upper beam and crooked lower beams!”
After being shoved into the van, Monkey Bro let out a wail. “Can’t I ride in a different van?”
“I’m a Monkey! I don’t eat dog food!”
Liang Jiaqing rolled her eyes. “Are you blind, deaf, or both?”
“Didn’t you see that there’s no one else in the van? Didn’t you hear the director say that each guest pairing would travel two to a vehicle today?”
Liang Zhou blinked a couple of times. After taking two seconds to process that, he obediently sat down.
“What else can I do? Director Zhang’s voice comes with a built-in urge not to listen!”
“If it were the assistant director speaking, I wouldn’t have turned into a crawfish!”
Monkey Bro was perfectly self-righteous as he opened his mouth and started badmouthing the director.
Unfortunately, Director Zhang happened to hear him.
Director Zhang: “…”
That brat’s mouth was every bit as poisonous as Xie Changyu’s. He really wanted to gag him!
“Keep slandering the director and I’ll immediately assign you a solo finale task. I could even bring forward your ‘One Pen, One Miracle’ event by several days and have you do it today!”
The threat was highly effective. Monkey Bro, who was as silent as if bugs were biting him for three whole minutes, remained quiet for the rest of the journey.
Liang Jiaqing thanked Director Zhang silently. Her ears had finally been granted a temporary reprieve.
…
When the desert scenery appeared before them, it brought an entirely different kind of visual shock.
It was a world apart from the beautiful mountains and waters they had seen over the past two days. It was hard to imagine that such completely different landscapes could exist in the same city.
The moment the guests got out of the vehicles, a wave of heat hit them in the face. The temperature was drastically different from that at Sayram Lake and the Tian Mountains.
To be honest, when they saw the Flaming Mountains before them, the kids who had gone out of their way to prepare outfits for a pilgrimage to the location of their childhood hit fantasy drama felt a moment of disappointment.
Xie Tangning and Liang Zhou, the two most excessively chuunibyou of the bunch, even pulled out their phones and repeatedly compared the view with pictures they had found online.
The Flaming Mountains looked somewhat different from what they had imagined. They seemed a little more bare and monotonous.
Aside from a giant surface-temperature gauge and a pile of rocks, there weren’t many attractions for tourists to enjoy.
But they were already here, so they might as well have some fun!
“It’s so hot! It’s still this hot at the end of August. No wonder they call it the Flaming Mountains!”
Xie Tangning looked at the enormous surface-temperature gauge, raising both hands to shield her eyes from the sun.
Xie Changyu quickly noticed the frown between her brows. He took a pink hat from his backpack and placed it on her head.
Then he sprayed layer after layer of sunscreen on her. Finally, he thoughtfully put sunglasses on her to keep the direct sunlight from making her squint.
Only after completing the entire routine did he repeat it on himself.
A patch of shade fell over Xie Tangning, and the furrow between her brows eased a little.
“Since we’re already here, how about trying a sand bath? I hear it can get rid of dampness and cold!”
Xie Changyu made the sincere suggestion, already eager to bury himself in the sand with only his head sticking out.
The moment Xie Tangning heard this, she turned to look at Wu Dacheng and passed along her brother’s earnest proposal.
“They say burying yourself can help you lose several pounds!”
“Little Fatty, this opportunity doesn’t come around often!”
Wu Dacheng: “…”
The look on his boss’s face made it obvious that he was talking nonsense!
He then turned to his own father and said earnestly, “Dad, you should give it a try! It’s so damp where we live, so this would be perfect for getting rid of the dampness!”
“I can dig the hole for free, and I’ll even bury you! Want to try?”
The Little Fatty’s tone was filled with earnest anticipation.
Wu Weixiang: “…”
What a filial son. He was already volunteering to dig a hole and bury his own father!
“Pfft! Hahahahahaha!”
One burst of laughter after another rang out. It was truly an uproarious display of filial piety—and laughter.
Liang Zhou’s eyes spun, his instinct for stirring up trouble practically etched into his bones.
“Uncle Weixiang, this is the mainland. Your kid can finally have a complete childhood here!”
He took two more steps forward and casually shoved the mini Bull Demon King weapon he was holding into Wu Weixiang’s hands.
“Here, I’m giving you my iron cudgel. No need to thank me, Uncle!”
“Little Fatty, hurry up and thank me! I’m the hero who made your wish come true today!”
Wu Dacheng: “!!!”
“Monkey Bro, you’re such a dog!”
Wu Weixiang instinctively weighed the little cudgel in his hand, then accidentally glanced at Wu Dacheng again.
His eyes were practically gleaming with anticipation, as if he might give him the full childhood experience at any moment.
