Chapter 172

Chapter 172

The yellow big-nosed school bus stopped steadily at the station, and Xiao Ming's eyes lit up with excitement. He was clearly excited about the day ahead.

"Why are you so happy today?"

Seeing the little boy so excited, Yi Tiantian couldn't help but ask with a smile.

The little boy looked up at Yi Tiantian and grinned, "Because something fun is going to happen today!"

Yi Tiantian was about to ask more, but the bus had just pulled up, so he let it go for now.

"Xiao Ming, come on board!"

The school bus attendant saw Yi Tiantian and quickly reached out to call Xiao Ming aboard.

Since this was the only stop for Xiao Ming at this station, the attendant had already remembered him.

Xiao Ming happily hopped onto the school bus, followed by Director Liu with his camera.

Yi Tiantian was the third to board, with Fei Cheng following behind him.

The two assistants, Yueyue and Yang Yang, also followed and were the last to board.

Once on the school bus, Yi Tiantian saw rows of elementary school students sitting very neatly. Many of them were carrying big backpacks, and quite a few of the students were already wearing glasses despite their young age.

"Looks like elementary school kids have their hands full these days!"

Yi Tiantian thought to himself.

Fei Cheng nodded in agreement.

The two sat in the empty seats at the back of the school bus, while Director Liu was crouching in the front, filming away on this bumpy ride.

"Director Liu is really quite dedicated, filming away even on this bumpy ride."

Yi Tiantian looked up and saw Xiao Ming chatting animatedly with the kids around him.

"Great, today's life is finally not so boring!"

A girl in the seat in front of Xiao Ming turned around, peeking through the gap.

"Yes, yes! And my least favorite math class has been canceled!"

Xiao Ming exclaimed excitedly.

Yi Tiantian was very curious about what had made this group of elementary school students so happy.

Could it be...

Is it almost vacation time?!

"That's not right, today isn’t an official holiday! The school shouldn't be on break!"

Yi Tiantian thought to himself.

Fei Cheng pondered for a moment but couldn't find the answer either.

Kids these days, you never know what they're thinking!

While the adults were still guessing, Xiaoming revealed the answer to the question.

"Today's fire drill is definitely going to be very interesting!"

As soon as Xiaoming said this, the surrounding elementary school students started chattering like there was no tomorrow.

Yi Tiantian, however, slightly raised his eyebrows, seemingly not having expected the answer to be so straightforward.

"I didn’t realize how simple kids' happiness can be, that they could be so happy just because of a fire drill!"

"I remember when I was a child, it was similar. Even skipping a single class used to make me happy for days..."

He felt a pang of nostalgia as he reminisced about his childhood memories.

Sitting next to him, Fei Cheng watched his profile closely, and a smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He also wondered what Yi Tiantian was like as a child!

Could he have been even cuter than he is now?

If only we had a time machine to go back and accompany him as he grew up!

At that moment, the elementary school students in the front seats burst into laughter.

"Haha, if we don't have math class, does that mean there won't be any math homework?"

"That's great!"

"Ah, kids' happiness is really this simple!"

"To protect this innocence, I have to stop the kidnapping from happening at all costs!"

Yi Tiantian made up his mind and began to execute his second plan.

Since Director Liu disagreed with taking the longer route, he would force the school bus to stop!

"In a few more kilometers, when we reach a remote corner, the kidnappers will ambush us."

"I need to fake being sick and collapse before we get there, so the bus has to stop."

Fei Cheng furrowed his brow because Yi Tiantian didn’t realize that everyone could hear his thoughts, and his plan had already been completely exposed to Director Liu.

Now that Director Liu knew what Yi Tiantian was planning, he wouldn’t trust him again.

Fei Cheng knew this method wouldn’t work at all.

Meanwhile, Yi Tiantian had already made up his mind and began to fake his illness with superb acting skills.

"Don't you all feel like the air here is a bit stuffy? I'm having trouble breathing..."

Yi Tiantian swallowed hard, stretched out a hand to pat his chest for air, and then coughed loudly a few times, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Tiantian, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?"

Although Fei Cheng knew that Director Liu wouldn’t buy it, he was still willing to play along with Yi Tiantian's act.

Yueyue and Yang Yang exchanged a look and decided to back Yi Tiantian, no matter what. After all, there was a driver, a bus attendant, and so many elementary school students on the bus. They didn’t think Director Liu would be that cold-hearted in front of everyone.

Yueyue and Yang Yang both got up from their seats and rushed toward Yi Tiantian's seat.

At this moment, Yi Tiantian was panting heavily, his chest rising and falling, as if he were about to suffocate at any second.

“Yi, what’s wrong?”

It was Yueyue’s loud and exaggerated voice. She was deliberately putting on a show for everyone on the bus.

“Driver, one of us is in danger. Can you please take us to the hospital first?”

Yangyang’s voice was filled with anxiety. After seeing Yi Tiantian’s condition, he immediately looked up at the driver and shouted.

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that several people had gathered.

At that moment, the flight attendant also unbuckled her seatbelt and hurried back in her high heels, while all the students looked on curiously.

Everyone’s eyes were filled with concern, except for one person.

That person was Director Liu.

Director Liu had heard Yi Tiantian’s thoughts earlier and had already anticipated everything, so he remained calm. He even continued filming everyone’s reactions with his camera, showing no sign of stopping.

When the flight attendant reached the back, she saw that Yi Tiantian was beginning to have seizures.

She had likely never seen anything like it before. Her face went pale, and she didn’t know what to do with her hands, looking extremely anxious.

Seeing how anxious the flight attendant was, Yi Tiantian hammed it up even more. He shook like a leaf, his head tilting, and his body slumping, almost falling to the ground.

Fortunately, Fei Cheng, with his strong arms, swiftly helped him up. Otherwise, Yi Tiantian would have really hit the floor.

The flight attendant quickly signaled everyone not to panic and ran to the front to inform the driver of what was happening.

This excited the elementary school students even more. If what the older boy said was true, then their school bus, originally headed to school, would now go to the hospital!

That meant less time in school!

Yes, kids’ lives were that simple.

No school? Happy!

The school bus driver immediately stopped the bus. This was his first time dealing with such an emergency, and the person in danger was a famous celebrity!

If he delayed getting Yi Tiantian to the hospital, the driver feared the consequences would be too much to handle.

So he came back to check on the situation.

“So, are we going to the hospital now?” the driver asked, scratching his head, looking at Yi Tiantian, who was convulsing.

“Yes, look at Yi. He’s like this now…” Yueyue said, fully committed, her brows furrowed, more serious than ever. She felt like an Oscar winner.

Yangyang spoke firmly to the driver, “We need to get to the hospital now. Any delay could lead to serious problems.”

Fei Cheng added gravely, “From what I know, Tiantian has been feeling unwell since this morning. So please, driver, take us to the hospital as soon as possible.”

Seeing the gravity of the situation, the driver nodded firmly. “Got it! We’re heading to the hospital immediately!”

After saying that, he turned and sprinted toward the driver's seat.

But just as he was about to return and start the car to head to the hospital, the narrow aisle of the school bus was blocked by someone.

And that person was Director Liu.

"What's the hurry? Are we going to the hospital now? Shouldn't the kids be in school?"

Director Liu's voice was indifferent, his expression blank, which stood in stark contrast to the anxiety of those around him.

"Why didn't Director Liu fall for it? Does he even have a heart?"

"Maybe my acting wasn't convincing enough, and that's why I was found out?"

"Although Director Liu is just a documentary director, I didn't expect him to be so perceptive when it comes to reading people!"

"Is this plan going to fail too?"

Director Liu raised his voice, shoving the camera lens toward the driver, his expression cold as he stepped forward, forcing the driver to retreat slowly.

Everyone on the bus was stunned; they never expected the usually kind Director Liu to suddenly become so aggressive.

"Don't you realize how urgent the kids' studies are right now? Let's be honest, this is a rural area, and the kids on this bus come from families that can barely make ends meet. Now you're asking them to waste time on this charade instead of learning. Don't you feel any guilt?"

Director Liu continued to advance, pushing the driver back toward Yi Tiantian's seat.

His voice was powerful, and his gaze toward Yi Tiantian was razor-sharp, as if he was trying to see through Yi Tiantian's disguise completely.

Yi Tiantian had never considered this perspective before because, to him, nothing was more important than life!

If there was no life, then what was the point of studying?

The kidnappers weren't just going to kidnap them; they were going to bury the entire school bus in a pit!

If they were buried alive, then studying would be the least of their concerns.

Though Yi Tiantian was furious inside, he didn't blame Director Liu. It was a rare event for a school bus to be kidnapped and buried on the way to school. It was normal for Director Liu not to believe it.

"But our Yi is really in danger right now! The kids... the kids..."

Yueyue, knowing deep down that Yi Tiantian wasn't actually unwell and feeling guilty after being lectured by Director Liu, now looked at the children's innocent eyes with a deep sense of remorse.

If kidnappers really appeared, they could just call the police. Plus, there were so many adults on the bus; they definitely wouldn't be controlled by these kidnappers!

Delaying the kids' education, especially from these already disadvantaged families, made Yueyue feel guilty.

As she tried to continue, Yueyue grew uneasy and started to stammer, trailing off mid-sentence.

Unlike Yueyue, Yang Yang wasn't easily swayed by guilt. He stood up, his expression serious as he looked directly at Director Liu.

"Delaying the kids' studies?"

Yang Yang's attitude was impulsive, and it looked like he was about to start arguing with Director Liu.

"What happened to Yang Yang? He used to be so quiet!"

"Why has he become so irritable now..."

Yi Tiantian was thoroughly confused.

Knowing that things could get worse, he took a deep breath, then raised his voice, "Hey, everyone, just give me a minute to rest. I’ll be fine. No need to go to the hospital."

Fei Cheng was surprised by how quickly Yi Tiantian backed down, instead of continuing to argue with Director Liu.

Yueyue and Yang Yang, who had already stood up ready to argue, exchanged glances with Yi Tiantian, their faces showing disbelief.

Why didn’t Yi insist anymore??

But Yi Tiantian’s inner thoughts soon provided the answer to everyone.

"Looks like this approach isn’t working. Director Liu probably saw right through me."

"I don’t want the kids to see us fighting, and I definitely don’t want things to get worse. So, I’ll back down for now."

"But don’t worry, I’ve got a backup plan!"

Everyone curiously looked at Yi Tiantian, noticing that even now, he was still putting on a convincing performance. He slowly breathed a couple of times, and the trembling sensation on his body began to fade away.

It was as if his condition had really started to improve.

"I’ll be fine soon. Let’s prioritize sending the kids to school."

Yi Tiantian took two more deep breaths, forced himself to stay alert, and then forced a smile at the people around him.

"Are you really okay? Maybe we should still go to the hospital just to check."

Fei Cheng knew they had to commit fully to the act, especially with so many people on the bus unaware of the situation.

Yi forced a calm smile. "Really, I’m fine. I took some meds this morning, and they’re kicking in."

Yang Yang, however, was still unwilling to give up on the chance to escape the clutches of the kidnappers.

"Yi, if you’re not feeling well, don’t push yourself. You’ll wear yourself out if you keep this up!"

But Yi Tiantian still chose to refuse.

He shook his head with a smile. "Really, I’m fine. Let’s just focus on getting the kids to school."

In the end, due to Yi Tiantian’s insistence, everyone returned to their seats, and the school bus started moving toward the school.

The kids, who had been following the drama, were a little disappointed.

After all, without going to the hospital, it seemed they wouldn’t be able to skip the morning classes!

But those who could hear Yi’s thoughts were on edge, knowing that kidnappers would show up at the next turn. They were ready to call for help at any moment.

They just didn’t know what kind of trump card Yi Tiantian had that made him willingly give up such a good opportunity.

"As soon as we reach the next turn, I’ll call the police!"

"That way, by the time the bandits show up, I’ll have already informed the police. I’m sure they’ll arrive at the scene quickly!"

"Come on, bandits, I’m fully prepared now!"

After hearing Yi Tiantian’s inner thoughts, everyone blinked and looked at each other.

Isn’t this just calling the police? We all could do that!

Even at this point, Director Liu still didn't believe Yi Tiantian's words. He even took out his phone and started playing with it.

As the school bus approached the corner near the woods, just a few hundred meters away, Yi Tiantian took a deep breath, gripping his phone tightly. His palms were slightly sweating, and the screen was already on the emergency call interface.

600 meters, 400 meters, 100 meters...

As they neared the corner, everyone couldn't help but swallow nervously and look ahead.

The road was flanked by dense woods on either side. Near the trees, a small station held a girl with braided hair, eagerly awaiting the school bus.

She seemed to be looking forward to the fire drill scheduled for today.

Yi Tiantian's forehead was already damp with sweat. He glanced around the girl, fearing kidnappers might leap out from some hidden spot with ill intentions.

To everyone's surprise, the bus smoothly stopped in front of the girl, and still, nothing unusual happened.

Not a trace of the kidnappers Yi Tiantian had mentioned!

Since most of those who could hear Yi Tiantian's words knew he had never been wrong before, the kidnappers were expected to appear on time.

But why was there no sign of them at all?!

Everyone was confused.

"Why are there no kidnappers here? Why didn't they show up?!"

"Could the rumor system have made a mistake? No, it's never been wrong before! It definitely wouldn't be wrong this time!"

"The kidnappers must have changed their plan, so I need to check the system right away."

While the bus attendant got off to help the girl aboard, Yi Tiantian had already opened the rumor system and started searching.

As expected, Yi Tiantian found the change.

"So the kidnappers have relocated! They knew we'd call the police in advance, so they didn't ambush here!"

"But how did they know we knew about their plan?"

"There must be something fishy going on!"

"There's an insider on the bus who tipped them off!"

These words sent a chill down everyone's spine.

They knew Yi Tiantian was right; otherwise, the kidnappers wouldn't have known about their plan to call the police.

"Who's the insider?!"

Yi Tiantian scanned the bus suspiciously, now considering everyone a suspect—except for Actor Fei.

He couldn't imagine someone as upright as Actor Fei working with the kidnappers.

After scanning the bus, Yi Tiantian's gaze settled on one person.

Meanwhile, the school bus continued to move smoothly, leaving the dense woods behind. Unbeknownst to everyone, an even denser forest lay ahead, untouched by civilization, with no bus stops or signs of human activity.

The school bus wasn’t going to stop up ahead, so everyone believed the danger had passed. After all, the kidnappers would need time to prepare for another attempt, so missing this opportunity would make it very difficult for them to kidnap again.

But just as everyone was starting to relax, Yi Tiantian couldn’t help but frown.

"I have a feeling things aren’t that simple. The kidnappers might appear again!"

Everyone tensed up after hearing Yi Tiantian’s words. Fei Cheng’s hands were clenched so tightly that his veins were showing.

Yueyue and Yang Yang exchanged worried glances, their brows furrowing in concern, while Director Liu in the front seemed unaffected as he continued to shoot the students laughing and chatting.

Meanwhile, the driver and the attendant at the front noticed something was wrong.

Up ahead, a pregnant woman lay on the road. She was clearly in agony, one hand braced on the ground while the other reached out toward the bus, seemingly asking for help.

Seeing that the woman on the ground was pregnant, the attendant quickly told the driver to open the door and rushed out to help.

Perhaps to capture the moment, Director Liu also followed the attendant with his camera.

But just as everyone was focused on the scene outside, Yi Tiantian, sitting in the back, noticed something alarming on the system.

"It’s a trap! We’re walking into a setup!"

"The kidnappers are about to show up!"