Chapter 97: Ch 97: Arrival at the Village

The bus moved steadily along the road, the driver handling the wheel with practiced ease so that almost no bump reached the passengers. PD Xu Cui glanced at his watch, and when he looked up, his eyes lit up the moment he recognized the distant gates of the village where they would be filming. He stood and peered through the front windshield, confirming the sight.

"Roll the cameras," he ordered, gesturing toward the staff at the back. The crew moved quickly, adjusting lenses and checking microphones.

A minute later the lead cameraman gave a nod from his position in front of PD Xu Cui. "We’ll go live in 3.. 2.. 1!"

The moment the count reached one, PD Xu Cui turned fully toward the guests.

"We’re here!" he announced in a bright, carrying voice that cut through the quiet cabin and woke nearly everyone.

Soft, dissatisfied groans rose from several seats. In response, PD Xu Cui only chuckled and shook his head at their sleepy reactions.

[ACKK, I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!]

[OML, THEY LOOK SO CUTE!]

[MY BABIES, HIII!!]

[OML, OML, MY FAVORITE GUESTS!]

[They look so annoyed at PD Xu Cui, LMAO]

[I mean, I would too LOLOL]

[GASP, HOW CAN Y’ALL SAY THAT TO THE GOAT PD XU CUI?]

[RIGHT? IT’S ABSURD, NO?]

[YEAH!]

[I’M SO SORRY I WASN’T ABLE TO WATCH THE LIVE EARLIER!]

[Why are y’all even watching this show? This shit is so cringe and totally not original.]

[Right.. so, care to tell why your username is "Pheromonewarnumber1fanslurpslurp"?]

[.....I didn’t change to my other account?]

[Yup. Wrong account, buddy.]

[I’ll.... I’ll just dig a hole for myself....]

[LMAO]

While the barrage bounced between excitement and its usual chaos, Su Wanyan’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of PD Xu Cui’s voice. She sat up, pulled the curtain aside, and looked out the window.

The view that greeted her was.. interesting. Stretching in every direction was nothing but grass—tall, dense grass that reached nearly half the height of a cow. The road itself sat a little higher than the surrounding fields, which was fortunate; otherwise the bus might have disappeared into the greenery.

One by one the other guests followed her example, leaning toward the windows and murmuring soft "wows" and "woahs." Su Wanyan listened carefully, but she still had not heard the bright, gleeful noises that always came from Shen Guoxing. She stood up, peered over the seat in front of her, and found exactly what she expected: both Shen Guoxing and Mo Xingxue remained deeply asleep.

A fond chuckle escaped her. Remembering the successful waking but tiring method she had used at the rest stop, she quickly formed a new plan. These two always wake the moment someone mentions something they like, Su Wanyan thought, grinning mischievously.

She cleared her throat, preparing for her new formed waking up method. "Wow!" she exclaimed suddenly.

Several guests turned to look at her in puzzlement, taken aback by her sudden burst. In response to their reaction, Su Wanyan only smiled, pressed an index finger to her lips, and motioned for silence. The others exchanged puzzled glances but nodded.

"Love really does make you stupid," Qin Yuran remarked with a quiet laugh, watching her buddy. Song Meiyu, seated beside her, chuckled.

"That’s right." Song Meiyu said gently, then looked at Qin Yuran and added, "And you’re so full of love," Song Meiyu said, the sarcasm light and playful. Qin Yuran’s face immediately reddened.

Song Meiyu laughed harder at the oblivious reaction. She sighed and shook her head, leaving Qin Yuran certain something was wrong but unable to pin it down. I only said love makes people stupid.... Qin Yuran’s thoughts halted. She stared at Song Meiyu in disbelief. "Are you calling me full of stupidity?"

Song Meiyu only laughed harder. "Hey, your words, not mine."

While the two continued their light banter, Su Wanyan refined her plan. "Look, Xing’er! A cow!" she said, keeping her voice bright.

Shen Guoxing’s eyes flew open at once. "Where?" she asked, excitement already flooding her voice. She pressed her face against the window glass, staring in wonder. "So that’s what they look like in real life...."

Su Wanyan glanced down again. Mo Xingxue still slept through the noise. Su Wanyan shook her head in fond defeat, then decided a gentler approach was needed.

She reached down and began carefully squishing Mo Xingxue’s cheeks between her fingers. What started as a simple way to tease quickly became something she did not want to stop. Her cheeks are so soft, she thought, smiling.

What she did not realize was that the entire segment was being recorded live, and the barrage had already lost its collective mind.

[AHHHHHH!!! THEY’RE SO CUTE!]

[They remind me so much of childhood sweethearts.]

[Well, that may be because they are??]

[Oh, you right. Forgot about that, LMAO]

[Look at her being addicted to squishing Mo Xingxue’s cheeks! They’re so cute!]

[Fr fr, it’s like how a cat is obsessed with catnip.]

[LMAO, CRAZY AHH COMPARISON.]

Mo Xingxue finally opened her eyes, looking confused for a moment before she registered the gentle pressure on her cheeks. She did not need to guess who was responsible. Only one person could do this to her and walk away unharmed. A small, helpless smile curved her lips.

"Yanyan."

The squishing stopped at once. When Mo Xingxue looked up she found Su Wanyan smiling down at her with open satisfaction.

"Good morning, Xuexue," Su Wanyan said, flashing a bright grin.

Mo Xingxue’s smile widened as she shook her head in fond resignation. Su Wanyan’s laughter rang out, clearly pleased that her little prank had worked.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

The bus passed through the open gate and the view changed at once. Tiered rice paddies stretched across the steep hillsides in neat, curving steps of green and water. Workers moved slowly between the rows, bent over the young plants with quiet care.

The bus began its careful climb up the mountain path. The road had turned to packed dirt, and every so often a small bump traveled through the floorboards.

One of those bumps startled Mo Yan awake with a sudden jerk. Su Wanyan, seated beside her, reacted immediately. She leaned over and gently stroked the baby’s stomach in slow, soothing circles.

Within moments Mo Yan’s eyes drifted closed again and her breathing evened into deep sleep. Su Wanyan smiled and gave the soft cheek a careful pinch before settling back.

A few minutes later the first houses came into view. Just as the promotional video had shown, most were old wooden and stone structures with thatched roofs, their walls weathered by years of wind and rain.

The guests stared in quiet fascination, yet a shared unease began to settle among them. After all, PD Xu Cui had made it clear they would live exactly as the villagers did.

Zhao Yichen wiped a bead of cold sweat from his temple, already imagining the heavy work ahead. Beside him Han Jiho watched the nervous gesture and let out a low chuckle, clearly entertained by his alpha’s dread.

The bus finally stopped in front of a larger house that stood in noticeably better condition than the others. PD Xu Cui stepped down first and waved them forward. "Come on, come on," he called.

The guests exchanged glances, then began filing out. Su Wanyan carefully unstrapped Mo Yan from the car seat and lifted the still-sleeping baby against her chest, mindful of every movement. She looked toward the seat in front of her and found both Mo Xingxue and Shen Guoxing already watching.

Mo Xingxue noticed her gaze and smiled. "Let’s go?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Shen Guoxing pumped both fists into the air. "Let’s go, let’s go!" Her smile was bright enough to light the whole bus.

Su Wanyan nodded, smiling back. She almost raised her own fists in matching enthusiasm before remembering the baby in her arms. Instead she reached over and ruffled Shen Guoxing’s hair.

"Ack! Aunt!" Shen Guoxing yelped, trying to smooth the strands back into place. "You keep ruining my hair!" She sent Su Wanyan a mock glare that only made the older woman laugh harder.

Mo Xingxue watched the exchange with a tender, loving expression, her eyes resting on the three people she cherished most.

Just then, PD Xu Cui appeared at the door again. "Hey, let’s go, let’s go," he urged, gesturing for them to hurry.

Su Wanyan and Mo Xingxue exchanged slightly embarrassed smiles. Truthfully, they had nearly forgotten they were supposed to leave the bus. Mo Xingxue turned, lifted Shen Guoxing into her arms, and the girl immediately snuggled closer. Mo Xingxue looked back at Su Wanyan. "Let’s go," she said, then added with a soft laugh, "for real this time."

Su Wanyan laughed too. "Yeah, let’s go," she answered gently, her gaze warm on the two of them.

The four stepped down from the bus together, unaware that the adventure waiting for them would hold both unexpected joy and quiet sadness.

But that, once again, was a story for later.

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I’M SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE, Y’ALL! I was going to update last night, but as I was revising the draft... I passed out. Like, really passed out. I DIDN’T EVEN GET TO REMOVE MY GLASSES, THAT’S HOW BAD IT WAS. Anyway, so sorry again, y’all! I’mma make it up to y’all soon.. by making Su Wanyan—