A Cub Just Wants to Snag a Big Shot on a "X-Change" Variety Show! - Chapter 3

“What good news is it?!”

Along the way, Shen Xiaoman persistently pried for information.

His father held his hand, a playful smile on his face as he kept the secret: “Your mother wants to tell you personally.”

Xiaoman was baffled but felt a flicker of anticipation.

Could it be that she was taking him to see his brother? His brother had gone to play basketball on the other side of the Pacific, and they hadn’t seen each other in three months. He missed him so much!

The roads in Maomaotou Village had been completely renovated a few years ago, replaced with smooth, clean concrete. There was no longer a need to worry about muddy rain or slipping on the path. Xiaoman skipped and hopped all the way home.

His home was no longer the leaky earthen shack of five years ago. It had long since been rebuilt into a three-story small villa, surrounded by a serene, quiet garden filled with beautiful flowers and a neatly trimmed lawn.

Even though he had lived here for three or four years now, Xiaoman felt a deep sense of joy every time he saw the big house. Compared to his previous life, it felt like a dream.

Hmph, the baby’s “Thigh Cultivation Plan” has been a massive success!

His brother was now a star athlete whose autograph was worth its weight in gold.

His father was a famous author who could live comfortably on royalties alone.

As for his mother, she had started producing and selling her handmade red chili sesame sauce separately. With high volume and low profit margins, the sales were explosive. New products were constantly being launched, and the company’s output value had reached the hundreds of millions of yuan two years ago. Her success had even driven the development of the entire village; the struggling mountain community had leaped into prosperity.

It’s all thanks to the baby!

Xiaoman was so smug he was practically walking sideways. As expected, as long as he wasn’t interfered with by the plot, a “cannon fodder” life could be rich and colorful!

In truth, Xiaoman had been worried about one thing: that the moment the timeline of the original book began, he would be forcibly shackled by the plot again.

But he soon discovered that it wouldn’t happen! The plot’s coercive force had completely vanished.

In his previous life, as a mountain child, the reason the program crew noticed and invited Xiaoman was that he had shown his painting talent far too early.

As a three-year-old, his grasp of form and color was ridiculously strong. He had used a fire-poker to sketch the outline of their house on the ground. His brother happened to photograph it and post it online, and Xiaoman became an overnight sensation as a “prodigy.”

In this life, Xiaoman was still practicing painting—after all, he truly loved it—but he intentionally hid it from everyone. Only he knew the extent of his talent.

Xiaoman realized that he hadn’t been discovered by the internet at all! In other words, the plot had not forced his fate back onto its original trajectory.

The taste of freedom was truly wonderful. The baby was delighted.

“Mama!” Xiaoman ran happily into the house.

He crossed the living room and ran into the bright, spacious open kitchen, where the floor-to-ceiling windows cast brilliant sunlight.

Xu Shan, wearing a deep green mermaid dress, had her back to him. An apron was tied around her slender waist as she busied herself stir-frying. Hearing him, she turned and smiled. Her trendy, permed reddish-purple short hair complemented her snow-white skin, and a large, elegant pearl adorned her ear.

“Baby, come help. Peel some garlic for Mama.”

“Okay!” Xiaoman trotted over happily.

He was only six now, roughly the same height as the kitchen counter; he couldn’t reach it at all. But that didn’t stop him from working because when his father designed the kitchen, he specifically arranged a low mini-counter for him. The silicone kitchenware on it served as Xiaoman’s toys.

Half an hour later, Xiaoman went to the back garden to help his grandmother, who was basking in the sun, into the dining room. The family of four sat harmoniously around the table, ready to eat.

“Sigh, I never imagined such scenes in the old days,” Grandma remarked, looking at the table full of sumptuous food.

Xiaoman took her arm and said in his milky voice, “Grandma, eat! If you keep overthinking, the food will get cold.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll listen to my Man-bao,” Grandma laughed.

“Baby, you’re starting primary school this year. Where do you want to go? Mama’s company is on the outskirts of the city. Do you want to go to school in the city so Mama can look after you?” Xu Shan suggested.

Xiaoman’s father, Shen Chongxue, immediately refused. “No. You’re so busy you don’t even have time to eat; how can you look after him? The town is fine. I’ll pick him up every day and help him with his homework.”

Xiaoman wilted. Actually, he didn’t want to go to school at all.

In his previous life, he only made it to the third year of middle school before the pressure of cyberbullying forced him to drop out. However, he never gave up learning; he self-studied everything up to the college entrance exam level and could pass a Level 6 English exam without issue.

As his brain capacity grew with age in this life, the knowledge he had learned before slowly returned to him. He was at least at the level of a high school sophomore.

And now they wanted him to go to first grade? Just thinking about it made him feel like he’d die of boredom! Pure torture!

Seeing Xiaoman head down and focused on his rice, playing dead to avoid speaking, Xu Shan and Shen Chongxue exchanged a helpless smile.

Xu Shan: “I knew it. Baby is so smart; he must be bored with the idea of school.”

Xiaoman remained silent.

Xu Shan: “So, Mama was prepared. When I was being interviewed, I chatted with a TV producer I know. I heard there’s a kids’ variety show currently casting, so I signed you up for a slot. You’d go to primary school with other kids for two months. Baby, do you want to go play—”

Before she could finish, Xiaoman’s little spoon clattered to the floor, spilling rice all over him.

He sat there, mouth half-open, staring at his mother.

Shen Chongxue was startled and hurried to clean the baby up, taking him to change his clothes. When they returned, Xiaoman was still in a daze. He grabbed his mother’s sleeve and asked tentatively: “M-Mama, what did you say you signed me up for?!”

Xu Shan: “A kids’ variety show. The producer said there will be ordinary kids and celebrity kids. Don’t you love making friends, Baby?”

Xiaoman: “What… what is the name of this show?”

Xu Shan: “Uh, I think it’s called X-Change? As a mountain kid, you’ll swap places with a city kid. Don’t worry, Baby, it’s just for fun.”

It really is the variety show from the original book!

Xiaoman was profoundly shocked. Even his favorite braised pig trotter no longer tasted good.

He finished the meal in a daze, his soul seemingly having fled his body. His parents noticed he didn’t seem to like the idea, so they stopped mentioning it and spent the rest of the meal trying to cheer him up.

Unfortunately, Xiaoman wasn’t listening; his eyes were vacant and he was lost in thought. After dinner, he locked himself in his room.

With many rooms in the house, Xiaoman was very independent and hadn’t slept with his parents for a long time. He had decorated his small room neatly and beautifully, filling it with anime figures he loved but couldn’t afford in his last life. His parents respected his hobbies and gave him plenty of allowance, never interfering.

Because he knew the future, Xiaoman had bought many “blue-chip” collectibles that would skyrocket in value, cherishing them in his storage cabinets. Every time he looked at them, he marveled at how good he was at cultivating “thighs” to lean on!

Shen Chongxue walked back and forth outside Xiaoman’s door carrying a plate of fruit, looking anxious. Seeing Xu Shan pass through the living room, he waved her over.

The two huddled secretly outside Xiaoman’s door.

Shen Chongxue whispered worriedly: “Maybe we shouldn’t let Baby do the show?”

Xu Shan stood with hands on her hips, frowning in confusion. “I meant what I said at dinner. Our boy loves excitement and making friends. Shouldn’t he love this show?”

Shen Chongxue stroked his chin and nodded seriously. “I thought so too. It is unusual. Maybe he just doesn’t want to go to school? Sigh, let’s take it slow and build up his interest in school first.”

Xu Shan sighed: “Maybe.”

Shen Chongxue: “Is the contract signed? If not, let’s break it. It’s not like our family can’t afford the penalty.”

Xu Shan glared at him: “You’ve really grown a backbone, haven’t you? Throwing away millions just like that?”

Shen Chongxue, a devoted and slightly henpecked husband, smiled awkwardly. He used his free hand to pull his wife into a hug. “There’s no other way. Our baby’s happiness is the most important thing. Our family’s prosperity must be a blessing brought by Xiaoman’s birth. How can we let our little lucky star feel wronged?”

A tender light flickered in Xu Shan’s eyes. She looked at the wooden door, feeling as though she could see her little cub lying on the bed reading a book, and her heart melted.

“Even if he were a little jinx, he’d still be our baby.” She pushed her husband away and said, “It’s not signed yet. I was going to ask him first. I thought it would just be for show, but I didn’t expect him to be so unwilling. Good thing I didn’t sign yet. Forget it, I’ll call Old Xu and tell him.”

Old Xu was the TV producer she knew.

As Xu Shan turned to leave, a noise came from Xiaoman’s room. The door clicked open, and the six-year-old stepped out.

His expression was as solemn as if he had just signed an organ donor agreement. He looked up at his confused parents and sighed.

This look was a classic case of a child “pretending to be world-weary,” but Xiaoman spoke with grim determination: “Mama, I’ll do the show! I can’t let your kind intentions go to waste.”

“Huh?” Xu Shan was a bit stunned. It wasn’t really a matter of “wasted intentions”…

She hurriedly advised: “Baby, if you don’t like it, don’t go. Don’t force yourself.”

Xiaoman shook his head: “No, I have to go.”

Xu Shan: “You really don’t.”

Xiaoman got anxious: “Oh, I’m going! I’m going!”

Xu Shan & Shen Chongxue: “…”

Neither of them understood what was going on. But since Xiaoman was adamant, it didn’t matter—he could do whatever he wanted. Their family could back him up; he wouldn’t be bullied.

Xiaoman went back to his room and flopped onto his soft, large bed. He hugged the giant teddy bear he usually slept with and rolled around. After a while, he couldn’t help but smile.

Actually, now that he had calmed down, going on the variety show was quite good. Could this be a “blessing in disguise”?

Xiaoman didn’t think it was the plot at work. His entire family were now public figures, a world away from his previous life. The flap of a butterfly’s wings can cause a tornado in the distance—let alone such a massive shift in their family’s destiny.

Being cannon fodder was a thing of the past life. In this life, there was no plot forcing him to be a villainous brat. Why not go? What’s wrong with a baby wanting to go on a show to “hug some thighs”? Hehe.

Aside from the currently struggling Long Aotian protagonist, the other kids in the show would also be future moguls! The youngest Best Actor, a capital investment giant, a musical genius… Just thinking about it made his mouth water.

Children are so pure; it’s the easiest time to build relationships! Becoming friends now meant a lifelong connection. By then, wouldn’t he have friends all over the country? He could practically draw a map of where to get free meals.

The more Xiaoman thought about it, the better it seemed. He was so excited he couldn’t even sleep that night. The next day, despite having dark circles under his eyes, he was full of energy as he followed his mother for their morning run.

With the lessons from his previous life in mind, as soon as Xiaoman was able to express himself, he had brainwashed his entire family: Health is the foundation of everything—you must exercise and get regular checkups!

His efforts had paid off. His family was very healthy now, and even his once-sickly grandmother was getting stronger, rarely needing to visit the hospital.

After the run, his mother contacted the producer. Xiaoman proactively asked for the phone, clutching it to his ear with his tiny hands. In his milky voice, he discussed signing the contract.

On the other end of the line, the production team was practically dying from the cuteness.

Xu Shan also whipped out her spare phone to record footage for their “Growth Documentary,” wishing she could give her cub a dozen kisses.

“The recording starts in late August. Little one, do you have time to come?” the producer asked gently over the phone.