Ch 131: The World’s Number One Resort

“We couldn’t reach the bananas, so some uncles and aunties helped us pick them.”

“The uncles and aunties were so nice. They even gave us candy.”

“We took the bus over, and there were so many people in the town.”

The five kids rested in place for a few seconds before returning to their dads. This was their first time doing a task without their dads, and they initially felt a bit nervous and uneasy. However, with encouragement from their companions and the staff, they completed the task step by step.

They felt a deep sense of accomplishment and maturity, a very special experience.

“Why are you covered in dust? Did you fall?” The camera gave everyone a heartwarming father-child close-up. On the south side of the filming location, Zhou Xingqian took the bananas from Zhou Kaikai’s hands. Noticing the dust on his knees, his expression grew tense.

Zhou Kaikai’s knees and arms were covered in some black dirt, and even his head had a couple of leaves stuck in his hair.

“I went to get the bananas, then… then, there was a big slope…”

“And then what happened?”

Zhou Kaikai gestured with his hands. Being so young, his speech was unclear, and Zhou Xingqian was having trouble understanding him, growing a bit anxious.

“He was running really fast, and he fell and hit a rock,” Zheng Lele explained, handing a cherry to Zheng Haitao before running over to Zhou Xingqian to clarify. Only then did Zhou Xingqian realize that Zhou Kaikai had tripped while running too fast.

Zhou Xingqian patted off the dust, feeling distressed. He knew Zhou Kaikai’s temper. If he suddenly fell like that, wouldn’t he usually throw a tantrum?

“Are you okay?” Zhou Xingqian asked while brushing off the dirt.

Zhou Kaikai grinned and shook his head.

“Kaikai didn’t cry; he was really brave!” Zheng Lele chimed in, popping a cherry into Kaikai’s mouth.

“Dad, I didn’t cry. They all said I was a real man,” Zhou Kaikai said as he bit into the cherry. When he first fell, he did feel like crying, but with other kids comforting him, the camera filming, and several onlookers around, his tears swirled in his eyes but ultimately didn’t fall.

“Dad, was I brave?” he asked, blinking up at Zhou Xingqian.

“Very brave.” Zhou Xingqian felt a mix of emotions. It was the first time he had seen Kaikai acting so independently.

“Dad, can we go to Lele’s big castle tonight? It has soldiers, a queen, and white horses…” Zhou Kaikai whispered something to Zheng Lele, then looked up at Zhou Xingqian with hopeful eyes.

On the way, Zheng Lele had told them stories about the castle with the queen and white horses. Each of their accommodations was unique, but compared to the others, Lele’s seemed the most magical.

The five little friends had secretly agreed that they wanted to visit the sky castle.

Zhou Kaikai finished speaking and looked expectantly at Zhou Xingqian.

“Of course, we can,” Zhou Xingqian said, amused by the strong sense of purpose in Kaikai’s eyes. Apart from the tasks, they had plenty of free time, although it would still require filming by the crew.

“Yay!” Zhou Kaikai cheered, high-fiving Zheng Lele. Kids find joy in the simplest things.

“Now that our tools are ready, let’s have the dads make a delicious yogurt salad…” After the father-child interactions, the production team set up five tables.

Each table had some simple fruit platters, yogurt, and fruit knives. According to the program’s plan, the fathers and their children needed to work together to make fruit salad. Understanding the rules, everyone quickly got to work. The fruit salad was easy to prepare, and soon the five teams were done.

This was just the side dish; the main dish was tomato sauce noodles cooked by Aunt Miley.

“Noodles…” The five bowls of noodles were brought out, and the children looked at the noodles in front of them with a bit of dismay. They didn’t particularly like noodles, but under the instruction of their parents, they reluctantly began to eat.

“Wow, this is so good! The tomatoes are amazing.”

“Dad, can I have another bowl after I finish?”

“This is better than Mom’s cooking.”

…

The five kids started eating casually, but the moment they took their first bite, their eyes lit up. The noodles in front of them were firm, smooth, and incredibly tasty. They had never eaten noodles this delicious before.

“Absolutely amazing!” The five kids devoured their noodles, and when the celebrity dads took a bite, they had the same reaction. The noodles from the Gourmet Restaurant were outstanding. In no time, each of them had two big bowls. It was a tomato sauce noodle dish that left a lingering, unforgettable taste.

“Sky Forest?”

“Bungee jumping?”

“No way…”

After everyone had their fill, they sat on the beach, basking in the sun. It was then that the afternoon task was revealed. As they read the task card, everyone was left a bit stunned. The task for the afternoon was simple: go to Sky Forest to complete a mission. The losing celebrity dad would face a high-altitude bungee jump as punishment.

“No need to wait for tonight,” Zhou Xingqian said as he flipped the card back and forth, rubbing Zhou Kaikai’s head.

Since there was a task, they would be heading to Sky Forest in the afternoon.

Zhou Xingqian had seen pictures of Sky Forest online and had chatted with Zheng Haitao earlier. Now, he was full of anticipation for Sky Forest.

With excitement in the air, the five pairs of dads and kids took a short break before heading to Sky Forest.

Clean, tidy roads, fresh and beautiful scenery, and cheerful tourists… This was their third time taking the bus, but just like yesterday, they were captivated by the scenery outside. This was a place unlike any scenic spot in China.

“Oh my, it really is 2,000 meters high.”

“Is this taller than Mount Tai? Zheng, did you really stay here last night?”

“Haha, how about we switch tonight? The snow hut is pretty nice.”

Forty minutes later, they got off the bus.

The five celebrity dads were completely stunned by the view in front of them. Many tourists were riding the Sky Elevators, moving up and down. From their vantage point, the entire sky area looked like a gigantic futuristic city.

Following the program’s instructions, they took the Sky Elevator. The walls of the elevator were transparent, but since there were children present, the crew pressed a button to change the walls to a matte black.

From the inside, the elevator was misty, giving it a very sci-fi feel.

“Are we sure this is safe?” Zhou Xingqian knocked on the elevator wall, his face filled with curiosity. The walls were hard and made a crisp sound, leaving him unsure of what material they were composed of.

“Don’t worry,” Zheng Haitao answered confidently, speaking as someone with experience. After yesterday’s up-and-down ride, he was now calm, completely forgetting how nervous he had been before.

Zhou Xingqian gave him a thumbs-up.

In this atmosphere of anticipation, the elevator slowly ascended. As it did, everyone felt as if they were entering a vast world.

Twenty seconds later, the elevator went dark. Then, they found themselves in a lush green forest. Ancient vines, purple trees, white deer, a small stream, and yellow orioles… The scenery before them was fresh and natural, like a hidden paradise.

“So many trees! And a stream? How did they move all this up here?”

“Hurry, take a few photos. The technology! It’s amazing!”

“Thanks to the production team for inviting us. This trip is really worth it!”

After a brief moment of surprise, they began to talk excitedly. Back in China, they were well-known celebrities with many responsibilities. But here, they were just regular tourists stepping into a grand garden.

“Dear celebrity dads, our destination is just ahead,” announced Tu Shi, clapping his hands as he looked at the task card.

They looked up and saw a winding stream in front of them. Beyond the stream was a quiet, deep path. Along the way, there were several signs for the show, Treasure travel, and the Great Tang VR advertisements. As per the show’s format, the path ahead was likely the set location for the next part of filming.

“Let’s go.” The five pairs of fathers and children stood up and headed towards the path. On both sides of the path, lush greenery surrounded them, and apart from a sign labeled “Brave Warrior,” the scene looked just like a primeval forest.

“The next game is charades. The kids will act out while the dads guess. You have three chances to pass. The team that guesses the fewest will face the sky bungee jump as punishment.” Behind the path was a spacious square where the cameras and props team had already set up. To the south of the square was a bungee jumping station.

With the show’s setup, this promised to be an extremely thrilling game.

The celebrity parents grew nervous.

“Um…”

“Sky bungee jumping is designed by the FillTech Company and uses the latest body protection technology. Aside from mental tension, it poses no harmful effects on the body or brain,” Tu Shi responded with a smile just as one of the dads was about to ask about safety.

This was to reassure the guests about the soft aspect of sky bungee jumping. As for the bungee cord itself, they had tested it earlier, so there were no concerns there.

All the parents’ questions were swallowed back down.

Even with the program’s assurances, they were still scared.

But with eight cameras around, they had no choice but to brace themselves. In this tense atmosphere, the game began. Each pair of guests used every ounce of effort. In the end, Zheng Haitao’s team guessed nine items, placing first.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xingqian had some bad luck, only guessing three, putting him in last place.

“Dad, you can do it!”

Zhou Xingqian put on the gear while Zhou Kaikai cheered him on. Kaikai didn’t fully grasp the danger of bungee jumping; he just knew from TV that it was a cool and impressive activity.

“Go, Uncle Zhou!”

“Uncle Zhou is the best!”

The other kids joined in, cheering him on. Zhou Xingqian was on the verge of tears. He knew that with the program’s arrangements, there wouldn’t be any accidents, but… he was still scared!

“Look, there’s a plane!”

“Wow, so cool.”

Just then, a loud rumble came from the side of Sky Forest. The kids looked up and saw a ten-meter-long black plane. The right door of the plane opened, and several crew members with cameras started filming the cliff from the air.

For this task, Treasure travel included aerial shots.

With things having reached this point, Zhou Xingqian had no way to back out. He walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. All around was a misty sea of white clouds, and below was an abyss with no visible bottom.

It made him dizzy just looking at it.

“Dad, you can do it!” Seeing Zhou Xingqian frozen in place, Zhou Kaikai cheered him on again.

At this moment, Zhou Kaikai and the crew were fifty meters away from the cliff. Zhou Xingqian felt completely alone.

Seeing the hopeful look in his son’s eyes, Zhou Xingqian wanted to cry.

Son, your dad is scared!

His anxiety peaked, and finally, he closed his eyes and jumped.

If I’m going to die, so be it.

Of course, Zhou Xingqian didn’t die. With the bungee jumping equipment in place, he felt none of the dangers typically associated with high-altitude pressure.

Slowly, Zhou Xingqian opened his eyes.

White birds flew past his ears, clouds brushed his fingertips, and the ground below looked like an endless ocean… He felt more and more at ease.

At that moment, he felt like an eagle, enjoying an incredibly free and exhilarating experience.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️