Chapter 191: Chapter 201: Peldon Village

Renee Jennings froze, forcing a smile onto her face. Her voice sounded as if it were being squeezed through clenched teeth. “Nathan, stop playing these little games with me. Who taught you these tricks for getting out of things? This isn’t good. A truly good boy wouldn’t act like this…”

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Nathan Lynch collapse.

“Nathan!”

Renee Jennings rushed forward to catch him, brushing the dirt from his sleeves. Her heart ached for the custom-made outfit he was wearing. She had run herself ragged getting a master designer from abroad to tailor it for him.

Nathan Lynch’s eyes were half-open. “Mommy, I’m so tired… I need to rest for a bit…”

Having spent the last six months with him, Renee Jennings knew Nathan Lynch quite well. She knew he wasn’t a good liar—for instance, his little hands were now clenched into tight fists.

She snapped, “Nathan, stop pretending! You really think I can’t tell? Who taught you to lie and led you astray?!”

The accompanying assistant director couldn’t watch any longer. They walked over, handed Nathan a bottle of water, and helped hold a parasol over him. “It looks like Nathan might have a little heatstroke, Renee. I think we should let him rest for a bit. Children don’t have the stamina adults do. They’re quite fragile, you know?”

Seeing the confusion and disdain on the person’s face, Renee Jennings realized that to outsiders who didn’t know the full story, her actions made her look like a “wicked stepmother,” something utterly unforgivable.

Renee Jennings explained, “You’ve misunderstood. I just don’t want my son to grow up to be a liar. The moment I see this kind of behavior, I have to correct it immediately.”

Nathan Lynch weakly called out, “Mommy.”

The assistant director’s gaze turned reproachful again. “I think the most important thing right now is taking care of Nathan. Everything else can be dealt with later.”

Renee Jennings felt like she couldn’t talk her way out of this one. She shot Nathan Lynch a look filled with unspoken resentment.

“Mommy, your eyes look so scary. Did Nathan do something wrong?”

Renee Jennings quickly composed herself. “Of course not. Mommy loves you more than anything. You must be so hot you’re starting to hallucinate. Since you’re not feeling well… we’ll just rest here for a little while…”

*

The tour guide had already reached the destination village and was waiting for the other guests, megaphone in hand.

Ruby Preston arrived first with Sean Sawyer. Mother and son were panting, their foreheads beaded with sweat.

The guide walked over to congratulate them. “You’re in first place.”

Ruby Preston wiped the sweat from her face with her bare hand. She was bent over, struggling to keep her eyes open. “…Really?”

Sean Sawyer, beside her, seemed to be in better shape than his mother. His cheeks were flushed red from the sun, but his breathing was fairly steady.

“Sean looks like he’s in great shape.”

Ruby Preston smiled at the comment, her voice tinged with pride. “Our Sean has always been a natural athlete, even from a young age. He loves competitive sports, just like his dad. The little guy often takes first place in races at school!”

Another pair reached the destination: Margaret Jennings, holding Carina Sanders’s hand. Both were drenched in sweat. Margaret Jennings tilted her head back and chugged half a bottle of water.

The third to arrive were Naomi Kenway and her son. Compared to the utterly bedraggled pairs who had arrived before them, she and Ian Shaw looked to be in excellent condition. Their hair was just a bit messy, and their cheeks were only slightly flushed.

Naomi Kenway immediately led Ian to a shadier spot to sit down, near where Ruby Preston and her son, and Margaret Jennings and her daughter, were resting.

Ruby Preston, still exhausted and trying to catch her breath, looked over at Naomi Kenway, clicking her tongue in amazement. “Nicole, your stamina is incredible.”

Her gaze shifted to Ian Shaw, who also looked energetic. “Nicole, did you carry Ian up the mountain?”

“Not at all. Ian wouldn’t let me; he was afraid I’d get too tired.”

Ruby Preston praised, “What a good boy, looking out for his mom like that. I’m surprised Ian has so much energy for someone so young.”

A string of curses echoed from a short distance away. It was Chelsea Raines, finally dragging Jared Woods up the path.

Jared Woods lost his footing and fell to the ground with a THUD. He grabbed Chelsea Raines’s ankle and started wailing, “I don’t want to walk on the mountain path! I don’t like it here! I’m so tired! Can we go home now, Mommy?!”

Chelsea Raines fought back her rage, yanking him to his feet. She couldn’t stop herself from shouting, “Who came up with this sick idea to torture us?! You just made us walk a mountain path that’s several kilometers long…”

A stream of profanities escaped her lips.

The guide hurried over and shushed her. “Ms. Raines, please remember this is a family-friendly livestream.”

“I don’t give a damn! Which one of you idiots came up with this plan?!”

Renee Jennings and her son were the last to reach the destination. They both had rosy cheeks and showed no signs of exhaustion, but Renee Jennings’s expression was foul as she walked over, her face an icy mask.

“Congratulations, everyone, for successfully conquering this winding mountain path! The children’s perseverance is especially admirable. On behalf of the production team, I applaud all of you!”

As he finished, a round of enthusiastic applause broke out.

An elderly man in simple clothes walked past them. His skin was tanned dark by the sun, and he carried a huge bag of fertilizer on his back. It seemed he had just climbed the same path.

Seeing the fertilizer bag start to slip, Naomi Kenway rushed over in a couple of quick strides to steady it. “Sir, are you okay?”

“Thank you, miss.”

With that, he hunched over and continued on his way, his feet sinking into the soft earth and leaving a trail of deep footprints.

The guide was moved to comment, “This mountain path, which felt like an impossible climb for all of you, is the daily route for the local villagers…”

The guests’ faces showed a mixture of emotions.

“Welcome, everyone, to our fifth destination—Peldon Village, a beautiful village nestled high in the mountains!”

Naomi Kenway clapped along with the other guests, but the name of the village felt strangely familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

Her gaze shifted to a large stone monument in the distance, a village landmark. Carved neatly onto it were two words: Peldon Village.

The more Naomi Kenway looked, the more familiar it seemed, but she just couldn’t place where she had encountered it before.

Ruby Preston, who was sitting nearby, noticed her puzzled expression and asked with concern, “Nicole, what’s the matter? Do you have a headache? Do you need to rest for a minute?”

Naomi Kenway shook her head. “This village just sounds so familiar.”

“Have you been to Peldon Village before?”

After a moment of thought, Naomi Kenway shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

Ruby Preston waved it off. “There are so many villages in this country; a few of them are bound to have the same name. You’ve probably been to a different one and are just getting them confused.”

“Perhaps you’re right.”

A middle-aged man in a white shirt raised a microphone. He stared at Naomi Kenway, his expression one of intense excitement, as if he had a million things he was dying to say.

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