Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Everyone was thrown into a panic upon hearing the shrill male voice.

Even some of the more timid staff members involuntarily shrank back.

Teacher Xiao Mo took a deep breath, her eyes gradually filled with determination.

"I'll go check it out!"

With that, Teacher Xiao Mo ran towards the deserted village.

The remaining guests, once they realized what was happening, followed her in the direction of the deserted village.

Following Teacher Xiao Mo, everyone finally reached a hillside.

On the other side of the hill was a lush forest, its branches swaying in the wind.

Beyond those branches lay the eerie deserted village.

Teacher Xiao Mo looked around anxiously but saw no sign of any guest.

She cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted loudly across the hill, "Mr. Wu! Where are you?"

Yi Tiantian and the other guests, who had caught up, also began calling out spontaneously.

While helping to search for the Wu brothers, Han Juanjuan inadvertently found herself at the entrance of the deserted village, hidden by the trees.

Since she was already there, she curiously glanced inside.

Teacher Xiao Mo quickly noticed Han Juanjuan's situation and hurried over to her with quick steps.

"Miss Han, please don't go any further!"

Teacher Xiao Mo's expression was tense, her brows furrowed as she urgently extended her hand to stop Han Juanjuan from advancing.

Han Juanjuan pursed her lips, glanced at the deserted village, and then nodded immediately.

"Alright, Teacher Xiao Mo, I understand."

About five minutes passed, and everyone, including the staff, found nothing.

Even the audience, who initially thought it wasn't a big deal, started to feel anxious.

[My goodness, did these two guests really disappear? Who knows what could happen in this remote mountain area!]

[Yes!! How could they just vanish like that?! And I saw the look on Teacher Xiao Mo's face; there seems to be some secret on Mountain Nu...]

[+1! When Teacher Xiao Mo spoke to Miss Han, her expression was clearly off!]

[Ah, stop with the comments, I'm about to faint from fear!! I hope they find Wu Fu and Wu Xin soon!!]

Time ticked by, but no one found any clues.

Everyone was extremely nervous and anxious, except for one person.

That was the calm and composed Yi Tiantian.

"Oh, so the scream earlier was just Wu Fu tripping over a dead branch!"

"So these two brothers really did go to the bathroom and are now squatting in a villager's house!"

"Hmm, this gossip is quite interesting..."

Upon learning that the brothers were not in danger, Yi Tiantian felt completely relieved.

Hearing Yi Tiantian's thoughts, the guests and staff also put their hearts back in place.

However, Teacher Xiao Mo couldn't hear Yi Tiantian's thoughts and didn't know that the twins were safe, so she continued to search frantically.

Seeing no sign of the two brothers nearby, Teacher Xiao Mo looked at the deserted village again.

She bit her lip, seemingly making a decision.

Fu Chongye, sensing Teacher Xiao Mo's thoughts, asked, "Teacher Xiao Mo, there seem to be houses beyond those trees. Could they be in there?"

All the guests looked at Teacher Xiao Mo curiously, awaiting her response.

Teacher Xiao Mo forced a stiff smile and turned to the guests, saying, "The village ahead is called Liangda Village, but it has been uninhabited for over a decade. It's said that some kind of plague virus exists inside, which is why no one dares to enter."

After hearing Teacher Xiao Mo's explanation, Yi Tiantian asked, "Hasn't any relevant department inspected it?"

Teacher Xiao Mo shook her head, "Since this village doesn't belong to Women Town, even if we applied, we received no response."

The guests shuddered at this revelation.

If there really was some strange virus that caused the villagers to die suddenly, then Wu Fu and Wu Xin might be in grave danger!

And they could bring the virus back with them when they return!

As everyone hesitated about what to do next, Teacher Xiao Mo spoke again.

"Liangda Village is actually quite sinister. A few years ago, a group of children went in to play and came out with high fevers. Last year, a mountaineering team entered and never returned... It's said that the village was once ravaged by a plague, turning the residents into cannibalistic monsters who eventually killed each other off..."

Listening to Teacher Xiao Mo's story, several staff members turned pale with fright.

They had not come across any information about "Liangda Village" during their pre-show preparations and were unaware of such a dangerous place on Mountain Nu!

Even Yi Tiantian, upon hearing this, felt goosebumps spread across her arms and shivered.

Noticing this, Fei Cheng subtly shifted his position, standing closer to Yi Tiantian.

Fu Chongye, not to be outdone, also moved a step closer to Yi Tiantian.

Fei Cheng's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing the man's actions.

He felt that there was something off about Fu Chongye.

At that moment, Teacher Xiao Mo seemed to recall something terrifying, his pale face turning ashen.

"The most horrifying part is, my grandmother once told me that during the time of mutual slaughter in Liang Da Village, someone from Women Town saw a woman covered in blood marks, her hair disheveled and laughing strangely, with an arm in her mouth, wandering around..."

Everyone drew in a sharp breath; the scene described by Teacher Xiao Mo was truly chilling!

Just as everyone felt a chill down their spines, one person's face betrayed a glint of bloodthirsty pleasure.

Han Juanjuan's eyes shone brightly as she stared intently at Teacher Xiao Mo, seemingly very interested in what he was saying.

Fei Cheng and Fu Chongye also noticed Han Juanjuan's unusual behavior, but they did not take it seriously.

They knew that Han Juanjuan was a manga artist, and specifically one who drew bizarre and horror comics.

So, it was understandable that she would feel excited; after all, this was like providing her with free material for her work!

However, the other staff members were still quite frightened.

Suddenly, a swift mountain breeze swept through the room, causing the branches of the trees on the mountain to sway rapidly, and everyone involuntarily shivered.

The wind also startled the audience watching the screen, who were already on edge.

[My God, if that's true, could Wu Fu and Wu Xin have been infected and returned?!]

[This village is too scary!!! The guests mustn't go in!!!]

[Damn, am I really not watching some kind of suspenseful horror show?! If the plot develops like this, those twins will turn into half-human, half-ghost mummies and run out of the village soon!!!]

[Can you people in front stop talking? I'm really scared watching the live stream, ugh ugh ugh!]

The audience in the chat room let their imaginations run wild, predicting the subsequent developments clearly, while more viewers watched with a mix of fear and anticipation.

Perhaps realizing that his story had been unsettling, Teacher Xiao Mo quickly apologized to the guests: "Sorry, actually, what I said earlier was just something passed down by the villagers, with no evidence. No one really knows what Liang Da Village is like now."

Despite Teacher Xiao Mo's explanation, the staff members were already frightened, and his reassurances did little to calm them; those who were trembling continued to tremble.

At that moment, two figures suddenly emerged from the nearby woods.

Shortly after, the voices of the Wu family twins could be heard from a distance.

"I told you to remember the way, but you wouldn't listen. Now we're lost and delaying the show, and you're happy about it!"

That was Wu Fu's voice.

Unlike his refined and cultured tone on camera, his voice now was hoarse and casual, like a vendor in a market.

"Why didn't you remember it yourself..."

This softer voice belonged to Wu Xin, who sounded as timid and fearful as usual.

"Are you talking back to me? I think you want another beating!"

Wu Fu, who had been walking ahead, turned around to face his younger brother Wu Xin, glaring at him and shouting loudly.

Wu Xin fell silent, but his head drooped lower.

As Wu Fu turned back, he came face to face with the camera.

He quickly changed his fierce expression, greeting the cameraman and the lens: "Sorry, I went to the bathroom and got lost. I caused everyone trouble!"

"You must be the national-level Peking Opera face-changing master!"

"A chameleon couldn't change as fast as you!"

Yi Tiantian couldn't help but comment inwardly.

The staff and other guests had no good impression of Wu Fu, so they all agreed with Yi Tiantian's thoughts.

Wu Fu's insincere apology made them feel nauseous!

Hearing Yi Tiantian's thoughts, Wu Fu cursed inwardly.

This Yi Tiantian never said anything nice and always went against him, even making his brother Wu Xin more independent!

This was infuriating!

But fortunately, he, Wu Fu, had already broken Wu Xin's wings.

Now, Wu Xin had returned to being the puppet without a mind of his own, the toy he could control at will!

Thinking of this, Wu Fu no longer felt angry about Yi Tiantian's words. He deliberately looked at her, his confident gaze declaring his victory.

Wu Xin, who had been walking meekly behind his brother Wu Fu, suddenly lifted his head when he heard Yi Tiantian's thoughts, looking at the man staring at Wu Fu.

This glance seemed to give Wu Xin endless courage, straightening his spine.

"It was my brother who suggested going to that village to use the restroom and asked me to accompany him. We both got lost, and I apologize for wasting everyone's time!"

When Wu Xin spoke, all the guests turned to look at him.

Wu Xin, who had never been the focus of so many people before, blushed deeply on his already handsome face.

Especially after meeting Yi Tiantian's gaze, Wu Xin's face turned even redder.

Seeing his younger brother become bold again, Wu Fu couldn't help but clench his fists.

This must be Yi Tiantian's doing again!

At this moment, Yi Tiantian was staring intently at Wu Xin's face, her eyes filled with confusion.

Because she noticed that the line of Wu Xin's jaw seemed to have been scratched, and blood was seeping out.

Moreover, Yi Tiantian saw some red marks on Wu Xin's slender neck.

It looked as if someone had tried to strangle him with their hands.

The staff and the remaining guests couldn't help but shudder.

What had these two experienced in the village?

Could there really be some strange virus in Liangda Village?!

Wu Fu, seeing everyone staring at his younger brother Wu Xin, reluctantly looked over as well.

He quickly noticed the marks he had left on Wu Xin!

To quickly shift everyone's attention, Wu Fu cleared his throat and coughed twice.

Just as Wu Fu was about to change the subject, he was interrupted by Yi Tiantian's inner thoughts.

"There's actually no virus in Liangda Village; the marks on Wu Xin's neck were made by his brother Wu Fu!"

"Wu Fu wasn't really going to the bathroom; he just used it as an excuse to forcibly take Wu Xin to Liangda Village!"

"Wu Xin has always been timid, and he became even more frightened when they arrived at the desolate village, so he was choked and beaten by Wu Fu, who had ill intentions!"

"Wu Fu stepped on Wu Xin and used humiliating words to perform PUA on him, making him believe he was a monster with no redeeming qualities, further crushing Wu Xin's self-esteem!"

"The reason Wu Fu subjected his younger brother Wu Xin to such PUA is actually..."

Everyone perked up their ears, eager to know what was going on.

But before Yi Tiantian could finish her thoughts, Wu Fu, unable to bear it any longer, stood up and interrupted everything.

Perhaps due to his desperation, Wu Fu randomly picked a topic.

He said to Teacher Xiao Mo, "Teacher Xiao Mo, weren't you very concerned about my brother and me just now?"

Teacher Xiao Mo was taken aback by Wu Fu's sudden question but still nodded. "Yes, I thought I had messed up! But don't run around like that next time; Mountain Nu can be dangerous..."

At this, everyone once again looked at Wu Fu and Teacher Xiao Mo.

Under everyone's gaze, Wu Fu felt somewhat nervous and interrupted Teacher Xiao Mo again, laughing awkwardly and loudly, "Hahaha, can I run around in your heart then?"

Wu Fu's awkward laughter made everyone present feel a chill.

"Bro, you just beat up your brother and now you're hitting on a girl? You really have no class at all!"

"Teacher Xiao Mo, run!! This Wu Fu not only talks awkwardly, but he actually likes men!"

Yi Tiantian silently ranted in her heart.

The staff and other guests also found Wu Fu's behavior disgraceful.

How could Wu Fu have the nerve to say such cheesy pick-up lines?

And at this moment, Teacher Xiao Mo, upon hearing Wu Fu's words, clearly became unhappy.

The concern on her face vanished, and the corners of her mouth turned downward slightly. She said unhappily, "Mr. Wu, please don't make jokes like that; I don't appreciate them."

Wu Fu quickly laughed and said with a hypocritical air, "Sorry, Teacher Xiao Mo, aren't you being a bit too serious? I was just trying to liven up the atmosphere, not intentionally. After all, this is a variety show, meant to be entertaining!"

Though he said sorry, Wu Fu didn't feel the slightest bit of remorse in his heart!

On the contrary, Wu Fu thought Teacher Xiao Mo was just being a busybody!

So Wu Fu used smooth talk to deflect and clear himself of any blame.

At this point, the viewers in the chat room were also swayed by Wu Fu.

[This Teacher Xiao Mo seems a bit odd, does she have to be so serious? Wu Fu was just making a joke!]

[I agree, maybe Teacher Xiao Mo thinks Wu Fu likes her? That's really overthinking it!]

[Exactly! Teacher Xiao Mo was just shouting earlier when the Wu twins went missing, and now she thinks Wu Fu likes her. So funny!]

Upon hearing Wu Fu's response, Teacher Xiao Mo's expression worsened, but out of politeness, she didn't pursue the matter further.

"Sorry, I don't usually watch variety shows, so I'm not familiar with these jokes."

Just as things were about to end there, Yi Tiantian started spilling more beans.

"Turns out the real reason Wu Fu subjected his younger brother Wu Xin to PUA is that he's actually an imposter!"

"Various calligraphy works..."

Before Yi Tiantian could finish, Wu Fu urgently interrupted her again.

"Maybe I should educate everyone in Women Town about what a variety show is? It seems you're all like old women from ancient times who know nothing..."

He immediately realized he had said something wrong.

Those harsh words were his private catchphrase, but now he had inadvertently blurted them out on the show!

He hurriedly tried to take it back, but it was too late.

Teacher Xiao Mo, hearing Wu Fu's foul language, stepped forward resolutely and stared sternly at Wu Fu, saying, "Mr. Wu, I simply don't enjoy watching variety shows. Please don't take things out of context or speak without thinking! The women of Women Town have been hardworking and kind for generations. Throughout history, they have mastered more scientific and technological knowledge than men! Moreover, Women Town is currently planning its own university, and many residents are studying elsewhere. On what grounds do you say we are ignorant old women!"

Seeing Teacher Xiao Mo's angry face, Wu Fu was terrified.

He quickly waved his hands, defending himself, "I just misspoke, Teacher Xiao Mo, please don't take it to heart!"

But at this moment, Teacher Xiao Mo had completely lost respect for Wu Fu. She firmly replied, "I forgave you once when you misspoke earlier. Do you want me to forgive you again? You should seek forgiveness from all the residents of Women Town!"

After saying this, Teacher Xiao Mo turned and left, never looking back at the embarrassed Wu Fu standing behind her.

Watching Teacher Xiao Mo walk away, Wu Fu spat on the ground.

"Damn! What a bitch!"

Just as he finished cursing, Wu Fu remembered that his every move was being recorded by the cameras. He immediately regretted it and slapped himself twice.

Yi Tiantian, watching all this, couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"It seems that if one doesn't change from the inside out, no amount of packaging will be effective!"

"Just like this Wu Fu, who boasts about being a great calligrapher and knowing a lot, but in reality, he's just a lowlife who swears!"

"Now, Wu Fu has finally shown his true colors!"

The staff and guests looked at Wu Fu with disgust written all over their faces.

Han Juanjuan glanced at Wu Fu with disdain and deliberately bumped into his shoulder as she passed by.

Wu Fu turned to look at her, only to hear Han Juanjuan answer playfully, "Sorry, I didn't mean to!"

The audience in the chat room finally came to their senses.

[My God, I really regret what I said earlier! This Wu Fu is not a good person at all!!]

[Ha ha, a great calligrapher indeed, I think he didn't even finish primary school! His quality is so low!]

[Wu Fu is really annoying! This guy is disgusting!!]

[Wu Fu, get out of Women Town right now!!]

Under the lead of Teacher Xiao Mo, the guests prepared to head to the last scenic spot of the mountain climb.

Everyone else walked ahead, leaving Wu Fu behind, walking alone and isolated.

The place where Han Juanjuan had bumped him still hurt, and Wu Fu felt the pain in his shoulder as he silently followed behind.

After visiting all the scenic spots, Teacher Xiao Mo led the guests down the mountain and back to the town.

Due to Wu Fu's behavior, Teacher Xiao Mo remained in a bad mood throughout the rest of the trip.

Upon arriving in the town, Teacher Xiao Mo briefly bid farewell to the guests and left.

Although Wu Fu felt awkward, he wasn't particularly worried.

Because after the mountain climb, the guests would take the mountain bus to the next ancient town.

By then, no matter how angry Teacher Xiao Mo was, it would have nothing to do with him, Wu Fu!

After lunch, the guests returned to their rooms to pack up and prepare to leave Women Town.

On the way back to the hotel, the guests felt something was off.

Since lunchtime, they could feel intense gazes from the townspeople, and some residents even pointed and whispered about them.

And everyone who passed by them wore unpleasant expressions.

No one needed to guess; this was definitely due to Wu Fu's actions!

Mayor Lu had initially had a very good impression of Wu Fu, partly because he was eloquent and had made Mayor Lu very happy, and partly because Wu Fu seemed to love the culture of Women Town.

That's why Mayor Lu wanted Wu Fu to inscribe something for Women Town.

However, after returning from the mountain, Teacher Xiao Mo immediately found Mayor Lu and explained what had happened on the mountain.

Mayor Lu sat in her lacquered high chair, her hands resting on the table, her brows furrowed.

At first, Mayor Lu thought Teacher Xiao Mo might have mistaken the person, believing that the one who said those things must have been Wu Fu's brother, Wu Xin!

But to Mayor Lu's surprise, Teacher Xiao Mo was very certain that the person who disrespected Women Town was Wu Fu!

The very person she once liked so much and wanted to have inscribe something for Women Town!

"Mayor, they're about to leave, you don't need to see them off!"

Xiao Mo, being younger, still harbored resentment towards Wu Fu and the other guests.

But Mayor Lu stood up from her chair and sighed, "That's exactly why I need to go."

Teacher Xiao Mo watched Mayor Lu's departing back, puzzled.

To reach the next village, the guests had to take the mountain bus, and Yi Tiantian and the others were waiting at the bus stop.

When they saw Mayor Lu appear, everyone felt a wave of guilt.

Although this incident had little to do with the other guests, Mayor Lu had been so warm and welcoming, and everyone felt they had let her down.

While the others felt guilty, Wu Fu, who should have been the most ashamed, did not show a hint of regret.

He thought that since he was leaving anyway, there was no point in pretending anymore.

Wu Fu didn't like this town where women held higher status, and he found it absurd and laughable that women were in power!

So when Mayor Lu and her group of officials came to see them off, Wu Fu showed no emotion, feeling even a bit bored.

He muttered under his breath, "What a fuss, so annoying!"

Because he was standing close to Wu Fu, Yi Tiantian heard his words clearly.

Yi Tiantian couldn't help but frown.

At this moment, Mayor Lu approached the guests with a smile and said loudly, "Long time no see, everyone! We heard you're leaving Women Town, so we specially came to see you off!"

Mayor Lu's words were gracious, and her broad-mindedness earned the admiration of the guests.

"Mayor Lu, Women Town is a vibrant and culturally rich town. I hope your town will develop better and better under your leadership."

Fu Chongye nodded slightly at Mayor Lu and smiled as he spoke.

Mayor Lu responded happily and continued, "We also welcome you all to visit our Women Town again! Here, I want to thank the guests for their support, especially—"

Hearing this, everyone around perked up their ears.

Wu Fu shifted uncomfortably to a different stance.

"I want to particularly thank our Yi Tiantian, Mr. Yi, for being willing to experience our Women Town's unique activities, which has helped the audience understand our town's culture even more!"

Mayor Lu gestured for someone behind her to hand a bag to Yi Tiantian.

Yi Tiantian quickly took the bag from the person behind her and discovered it contained some local souvenirs from Women Town.

"Thank you, Mayor Lu, thank you everyone, I really like them!"

Mayor Lu smiled and had the people behind her hand out bags to the other guests.

The guests thanked her as they received the souvenirs, and in the end, everyone got the gifts prepared by Mayor Lu, except for Wu Fu, who stood at the back with empty hands.

"Well, let's meet again if fate allows it!"

Mayor Lu led her officials in waving goodbye to the guests, then left as the mountain bus arrived.

Watching the guests board the mountain bus, the chat messages finally burst into praise.

[Wow, Mayor Lu is just too nice! She doesn't mind all the nonsense Wu Fu said! And she even prepared gifts for every guest!!]

[Wu Fu is just a stinky man, why would a respectable mayor like her bother with him! Wu Fu doesn't deserve it!]

[Exactly! Wu Fu is just a third-rate calligrapher, but Mayor Lu is a dignified and upright mayor! It would be too unlucky to argue with such a person!]

[Women Town is really great. Not only does it have beautiful scenery, but the residents seem very friendly! I really want to visit!]

[Me too!! Are there any sisters who want to go together?]

The chat viewers were already planning their trips to Women Town, but the guests on the mountain bus were now in a state of panic.

As the name suggests, the mountain bus travels through the mountains.

And the roads in the mountains are extremely difficult to navigate, so the guests watched in horror as the bus navigated the perilous route, as if it might topple off the road at any moment.

"Ahhh!!"

"Oh my God, is this really safe?!"

Some of the staff had already started screaming.

The two Wu brothers were also scared, sitting in their seats with pale faces.

Wu Xin bit his lower lip tightly, while Wu Fu clung to the armrest beside him.

However, Han Juanjuan seemed immune to fear, shouting excitedly as the bus jolted through the mountains.

"Wow!! So thrilling!!"

Fu Chongye turned back worriedly to check on Yi Tiantian, fearing he might be scared by the wild ride of the mountain bus.

But when he turned back, he saw Yi Tiantian sitting obediently in his seat, while Fei Cheng reached out to give him something.

Seeing this, Fu Chongye's face darkened.

He turned away, and no one noticed the flash of murderous intent in his eyes.

In the back row, Yi Tiantian took the plum candy from Actor Fei and put it in his mouth, puffing out his cheeks and mumbling, "Wow, I really feel better."

Fei Cheng looked at Yi Tiantian and smiled, "Yes, it helps with motion sickness."

Yi Tiantian immediately gave Fei Cheng a thumbs up, "Actor Fei really knows a lot!"

The mountain bus drove for about three hours, and the guests gradually calmed down from their initial fear and worry.

Although there were still significant bumps on the road, everyone had become accustomed to them.

Just as everyone was beginning to relax, Yi Tiantian's voice rang out again.

"Bad news! The road ahead is blocked due to a landslide!"

The guests immediately sat up straight, looking out the windows anxiously.

They saw that indeed several large rocks and some soil were blocking the way at the very front of the bus.

The driver stopped the vehicle, turned around with a cigarette in his mouth, and said to everyone, "We can't go any further ahead. What do you think we should do?"

The scene fell into a state of commotion, and then the program's director and Director Xiao Chen stepped forward to negotiate.

In the end, everyone agreed: this road was completely impassable, and there were no other routes leading to the next town where the guests wanted to go, so they would have to wait on the spot for the night.

"Why don't we just turn back the way we came?"

Han Juanjuan raised her hand and asked.

"It's already evening, and the mountain roads are quite difficult to navigate, so it would be risky to return now," Director Xiao Chen explained to Han Juanjuan.

Everyone pondered this in their minds.

If they really drove through the mountains at night as the bus had done earlier, they might find themselves trending as the top news story by morning, probably about a tragic accident!

Thinking of this, Han Juanjuan fell silent.

On the other side, Wu Xin mustered up the courage to ask, "Where will we spend the night tonight? Are there any places nearby where we can stay?"

"We'll all have to make do and stay on this bus tonight," Director Xiao Chen explained.

Wu Xin had no objections; he nodded in agreement.

However, the driver suddenly stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and said to everyone, "You don't necessarily have to crowd onto the bus. Who knows what could happen in these mountains at night? If something happens to the bus, we're all done for."

Fu Chongye looked at the driver and asked, "Do you know of any place we can go?"

The driver glanced at the camera and finally said mysteriously, "There's a village not far from here where we bus drivers sometimes stay. How about I lead you there?"

Director Xiao Chen discussed it further with the driver and ultimately decided to let the driver lead everyone to the village where the bus drivers rested.

As it was getting dark, everyone hurried along.

When they arrived at the village the bus driver had mentioned, it was already around seven o'clock in the evening.

"Why is it so dark that we can't see our hands in front of our faces, and no one has turned on the lights here yet!"

Wu Fu asked, puzzled.

The staff and guests were also very curious and looked over at the driver.

At this moment, the driver's expression suddenly became somewhat strange. He cleared his throat and replied, "Ah, because actually no one lives here."

Everyone was immediately stunned.

What do you mean no one lives here?!

Then, Yi Tiantian's exclamation provided an answer.

"My goodness! So this is the deserted village on Mountain Nu from earlier today, Liangda Village!"

"The driver actually brought us to Liangda Village and expects us to spend the night here!!"