Switched Life:I Went Viral on a Family Variety Show-Chapter 100: Slapping Myself in the Heart

After entering the mountain, the path was easier to walk than expected. The stone-paved road spiraling upward led straight to the summit.

"I didn’t expect this—this mountain looks remote, but the road is pretty well-built, and even quite spacious." Sang Chuan walked at the front, glancing left and right, completely at ease, like a tourist on a leisurely outing.

"Probably built to make it easier for researchers to travel, right?" Sang Ning replied offhandedly.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the bushes on the right side. She immediately grew alert—could it be mountain monkeys?

Mountain monkeys are feral, aggressive, and—most horrifying of all—carnivorous.

Facing a single monkey might be manageable, but if a whole group showed up, she wouldn’t stand a chance. These creatures were absurdly agile.

She decided to act as though she hadn’t seen anything and quickly move past. If she didn’t provoke them, they probably wouldn’t dare approach.

After all, there were plenty of people in their group, and mountain monkeys tended to fear humans in large numbers.

"Hey, what’s that sound?" Sang Chuan also noticed the rustling in the bushes nearby and took a step toward the source. frёewebnoѵēl.com

"Don’t go!"

Sang Ning shouted to stop him, but it was already too late. Sang Chuan had half his body leaned into the shrubbery.

[Sang Chuan’s curiosity is way too intense. Isn’t he afraid of some wild beast jumping out and biting him?]

[Curiosity killed the cat. Someone like Sang Chuan wouldn’t last past the first episode in a horror movie.]

"Ah!"

As Sang Ning approached, two simultaneous screams rang out. Sang Chuan’s body flew backward out of the bushes, as if someone had shoved him forcefully. He tumbled straight to the ground, landing on his tailbone.

"What’s wrong with you? Trying to scare me to death, huh?"

"What’s wrong with you? Want to kill me, huh?"

A man’s and a woman’s angry voices rang out at the same time.

Sang Chuan sat on the ground, glaring furiously at the dense bushes.

Soon, the bushes parted, and Chu Xi emerged, still looking visibly shaken.

"Why are you here on the mountain too?" Chu Xi asked, clearly taken aback, upon spotting Sang Ning after stepping out of the bushes.

It made sense for Sang Chuan to be here as he had clues, but Sang Ning didn’t. How did she know to come here?

"What the—why did all of you show up?" Chu Xi stretched her neck further to see the large group following behind Sang Ning.

She was stunned. What was going on?

After Chu Xi stepped out, Mr. Shen also emerged from the parted bushes, and upon seeing the group, greeted them cheerfully, "Looks like we all came to the same conclusion."

"But Old Sang, you don’t have any clues, so how did you decide to come up the mountain?"

Mr. Shen turned toward Sang Youming, curiosity evident in his tone, and couldn’t help but ask further.

Sang Youming, being straightforward and unable to keep secrets, immediately confessed to Mr. Shen, "Hehe, my wife and son handed over all their clues to my daughter, so I’m just tagging along with her. Wherever she goes, I go."

Sang Chuan scrambled back to his feet, patted the dirt off his backside, and couldn’t resist chastising Sang Youming, "Dad!"

He was genuinely exasperated by his father’s lack of tact—how could he blurt out everything like that?

[Sang Chuan: I rushed as fast as I could but was still a step too late to stop my dad’s big mouth.]

Chu Xi’s heart sank halfway upon hearing this.

Shen Yi would rather ally with Sang Ning than with her? She had Mr. Shen in her group, after all!

Did Shen Yi not care about his own father anymore? Or did he just doubt her intelligence?

"Where are you all planning to go after climbing the mountain?" Chu Xi looked at Sang Ning, her voice tinged with nervousness.

Sang Ning lifted her gaze toward the summit, where a towering Astronomy Tower was visible, and answered casually, "Probably heading to the top."

Chu Xi relaxed instantly upon hearing Sang Ning’s response, a disdainful smile creeping across her lips. "Is that so? Well, good luck."

There was no way they’d find a pond at the summit—Sang Ning was such an idiot.

"Have you considered teaming up with us? We already have two clues. If we combine them with yours, we should be able to find the mysterious guest quickly," Sang Chuan suggested to Chu Xi.

The situation had arrived at a point where his father’s group and Song Shiye’s group were sticking to them like pieces of stubborn gum that refused to peel off.

Teaming up had lost its meaning, so they might as well pool their clues, locate the mysterious guest faster, and enjoy the food together.

Even Mr. Shen agreed with Sang Chuan’s suggestion. With other groups clumped together, there was no need for their group to be left out.

So he tried persuading Chu Xi, "Xiao Chu, we only have one clue, and it might not even be accurate. Why not hand your clue to Xiao Sang and have her lead us to find the guest?"

Mr. Shen’s words ignited a surge of anger in Chu Xi’s heart.

Did Mr. Shen also subconsciously believe Sang Ning was better than her?

Suppressing her fury, Chu Xi forced out a restrained smile, "Uncle Shen, rules are rules. If they’re leading the charge in breaking the rules, we can’t follow in their footsteps. If everyone starts teaming up, then Director Sun’s setup of checkpoint clue-grabbing becomes meaningless, and we can’t let Director Sun be put in a difficult position."

[Chu Xi is still so thoughtful—the production crew probably loves guests like her.]

[What do you mean by "thoughtful"? Clearly, she’s inflexible. The production crew wants guests who boost ratings, and someone as rigid as Chu Xi really isn’t cut out for variety shows.]

Mr. Shen was momentarily stumped by Chu Xi’s response.

Li Sulan had initially planned to invite Chu Xi to join them as well, but hearing what she said, she promptly suppressed the urge to open her mouth.

"Uncle Shen, even when my mom asked me for the clue, I didn’t give it to her. We should stick to our principles and not ally with others. They may have two clues, but it doesn’t guarantee they’ll find the guest before us." Chu Xi spoke until her mouth felt dry, completely unaware of Li Sulan’s darkened expression beside her.

Li Sulan internally berated herself; if Mr. Shen hadn’t interfered earlier, she wouldn’t have failed in getting Chu Xi’s clue.

What did Chu Xi mean by her words? Had she never intended to share the clue with her from the start?

Before she could dwell on it further, Sang Chuan already started urging everyone, "Alright, alright, no hard feelings. If you don’t want to team up, fine. Let’s go—the rest of us will search on our own."

Sang Chuan maneuvered behind Sang Ning, placed both hands on her back, and began steering her forward.

He didn’t forget to turn back and call the others, "Dad, Mom, you guys too—why stand there like fools? No one’s going to fall out of the sky and hand you a person. Come on, follow your precious daughter to find the guest."

Mr. Shen had originally wanted to continue trying to persuade Chu Xi, hoping she’d stick with the bigger group. But once Sang Chuan started marching everyone onward, he figured it’d be awkward to press further.

Li Sulan slowly caught up with the group, stopping when she reached Chu Xi and casting her a complex look.

Chu Xi’s attitude shifted drastically from earlier—her expression softened as she affectionately draped an arm around Li Sulan, leaning in to whisper, "Mom, don’t worry. If I win the big meal, I’ll definitely share it with you."

The fog of doubt lifted from Li Sulan’s mind, and inwardly, she berated herself, feeling like an idiot.

She must have been losing her grip on reality to have doubted Xiao Xi. Truly, she regretted it to the core!