Chapter 160 The Challenge Continues

Chapter 160: The Challenge Unfolds

After a round of mutual encouragement, the four family groups went their separate ways.

Hua Zhao held Pei Qiqi's small hand and walked to a stone tablet that towered over her.

This type of puzzle game was quite simple for adults.

The symbols and patterns on the tablet were relatively straightforward and abstract, evoking the feel of ancient script.

Hua Zhao took the bag off Qiqi's shoulder and set it aside. She was confident that this puzzle wouldn't stump Qiqi, so she remained silent as Qiqi furrowed his little brows in deep thought.

She wished every camera would focus on Qiqi, so that when the show aired, everyone would know how clever Qiqi was.

Pei Qiqi lived up to his aunt's expectations. Soon, he pointed to a pattern and said, "Auntie, this pattern looks like an owl."

Hua Zhao leaned in for a closer look.

It was indeed a distinct animal carving.

"This is a deer, a squirrel..."

There were six small animal patterns in total, but what did the remaining symbols represent?

Pei Qiqi pondered seriously, the incessant chirping of birds filling the forest.

"...Find the guardian of the forest," Pei Qiqi whispered, his eyes darting around.

Hua Zhao prompted, "Does it mean we need to find these forest guardians? But where should we look?"

Pei Qiqi's eyes suddenly lit up. "The symbols are their homes! We just need to find their homes to find them!"

Hua Zhao smiled warmly and gently pinched his earnest little face. "Qiqi, you're amazing."

Upon closer inspection, Pei Qiqi noticed that each symbol had an arrow pointing the way.

Following the symbols, and with Hua Zhao's reminders, he soon found the animal statues that the production team had hidden in the clearing.

The statues were made of foam and were not heavy.

Pei Qiqi jogged to bring all the animal statues to the stone tablet and arranged them in the order of the patterns on the tablet.

Suddenly, celebratory music erupted across the clearing, and the director's voice boomed from a loudspeaker: "Congratulations, Pei Xu! You're the first to complete the task. Come and get your key fragment!"

Meanwhile, in the same forest, Mi Le and Mi Huan arrived at the "maze" set up by the production team.

The two brothers carefully read the challenge requirements twice at the entrance before stepping inside.

"Brother, don't be scared, okay? Make sure to follow me closely," Mi Le said, full of concern.

Mi Huan pretended not to notice his brother's slow pace and played along with an encouraging hum.

Mi Le's heart was pounding too. He loved maze games and was known as the kindergarten's game master.

But the maze before him was cramped and narrow, requiring immediate decisions as soon as he entered.

At a crossroads, he hesitated, afraid of making the wrong turn.

Feeling the sweat on his little brother's palm, Mi Huan crouched down and wiped the sweat from the child's forehead. "Lele, what are you afraid of?"

Mi Le took a deep breath and shook his head. "I don't know."

Mi Huan knew his brother's personality all too well. He stroked his hair and said patiently, "You're afraid of taking the wrong path, aren't you?"

Although his brother was only five and a half years old, he was unusually competitive for his age.

As the oldest among the children in the variety show, he always felt he had to take care of the younger ones.

Mi Huan felt a pang of heartache. With an age gap of over ten years between them, he had always seen his brother as a bundle of joy, an outgoing child who was loved by everyone.

But yesterday, after he and Wang Zhi returned their luggage to the hotel, they grew worried about the children and went to the production team to watch the footage.

In the video, Mi Le's face was serious, a far cry from his usual cheerful self. Even when surrounded by so many people, he still tried to protect Qiqi and Niu Niu.

Mi Huan saw that his little legs were trembling, and his eyes were red, yet he persisted.

Wang Zhi, relieved to see Niu Niu so well protected, smiled and thanked Mi Huan, saying Mi Le was doing an excellent job as an older brother.

Mi Huan forced a smile, felt a sting in his nose, and almost couldn't hold back his tears.

He had repeatedly reminded Mi Le to take good care of the younger children when they were out, but seeing his usually carefree little brother transform into a responsible little man made him feel both proud and heartbroken.

He pretended to be nonchalant, pinching Mi Le's cheek. "So what if we make a mistake? It's just a game. Besides, even if we take the wrong path, we can always try again."

Mi Le looked up at him but said nothing.

He was afraid he wouldn't be able to find his way out of the challenging maze. Perhaps he would eventually succeed, but it might take a long time, and You You and the others would be stuck waiting for him.

His big brother vigorously ruffled his hair, and then tightly grasped his hand.

Mi Huan's palm was broad and warm, giving him an invisible boost of energy.

"Big brother is here. What are you afraid of?"

Mi Le blinked and murmured dazedly, "Brother."

From then on, Mi Huan led the way. At some intersections, he would stop and ask for Mi Le's opinion.

Mi Le made wrong choices several times, but Mi Huan would simply hold his hand and redirect him until he chose the right path.

In less than ten minutes, the two brothers found the exit and successfully obtained the key fragment.

Mi Le glanced back at the winding, rugged, and unpredictable maze behind him.

"See, we took many wrong turns, but we still made it out."

Mi Le nodded.

"So, don't be afraid of making choices, and don't put pressure on yourself. Our Lele is only five years old and already doing great."

His brother rarely praised him, so Mi Le was overjoyed. He held his brother's hand and affectionately rubbed his thumb against his brother's palm.

With the fragment in hand, Mi Le began to worry about the other children.

Not far away, Niu Niu had put on protective gear like knee pads, inching forward cautiously with her arms spread wide as she stepped onto the balance beam.

"Niu Niu, big brother will be waiting for you at the finish line."

Both the older and younger child had to walk the balance beam, with thick mats below for safety, so they wouldn't get hurt even if they fell.

Niu Niu took a deep breath and shakily stepped onto the balance beam.

The balance beam was only a few meters long. Wang Zhi had scampered across in under a minute and immediately stood at the finish line, cupped his hands around his mouth: "Niu Niu, you can do it!"

Wang Zhi, still a child himself, was cheering loudly, waving his arms excitedly to cheer Niu Niu on.

His excitement disrupted Niu Niu’s rhythm, and with a plop, she fell off the balance beam.

Wang Zhi: "......"

Niu Niu landed on the mat, her eyes instantly welling up with two pools of tears. She froze, keeping her hands planted on the mat.

She was afraid of falling—absolutely terrified.

"Niu Niu, does it hurt?"

Since the balance beam had to be crossed on her own, Wang Zhi couldn’t help her and was worried sick.

The little girl sat on the mat, looked at her cousin, and sniffled a couple times.

"...It doesn’t hurt."