A Cub Just Wants to Snag a Big Shot on a "X-Change" Variety Show! - Chapter 4

“I have time! I want to go!” Shen Xiaoman sounded as if he couldn’t wait to time-travel straight to late August.

The call ended.

Xiaoman threw himself into his mother’s arms, giggling happily.

“Is Baby really that happy?” Xu Shan felt quite surprised. After all, his initial reaction had been so intense; she had truly thought he hated the idea of being on the show.

Xiaoman tilted his head and grinned. “Yes! I can make so many new friends. I’m so happy!”

Xu Shan smiled, looking down and gently stroking her darling’s head. “Mm, good luck, Baby. Everyone is going to love you.”

August arrived in the blink of an eye.

In just two days, Xiaoman would depart for the X-Change variety show. Once his participation was confirmed, the news spread through the village like wildfire. Originally, he was just a “non-celebrity” kid joining a show, but as the rumors traveled, it turned into “Shen Xiaoman is going to be a big superstar cub.”

This led to a constant stream of visitors over the past few days bringing gifts and congratulations, even asking for autographs to keep as treasures. The small storage room Xiaoman used for gifts was nearly overflowing.

Today was even more exaggerated. The entire village held a massive feast, firecrackers went off with a bang-bang-pop, and a red banner was unfurled: “Warm Congratulations: The Shen Family’s Little Man is Heading to the City to become the Village’s First Big Star!”

If Xiaoman weren’t such a social butterfly who loved excitement, he might have died of pure embarrassment.

The cub cheekily took a photo with the banner, did a lap around the village, ate a bite of food at every house, and handed out his own handmade cookies. He trotted home in high spirits to finish packing his small backpack.

The production crew had told him that since his role was a “mountain village cub,” he wasn’t allowed to bring a suitcase. Besides his backpack, he could only use a few bags for his personal belongings.

Furthermore, he had to change houses.

After the contract was signed two months ago, the crew had come to Maomaotou Village to scout the environment, test equipment, and finalize the script. As soon as they entered the village, the staff sensed something was wrong. This path, this greenery… it’s comparable to a luxury villa district in the city. Why is this different from what we imagined?

When they saw the Shen family’s small Western-style villa, their pupils shook in unison. They fell into a collective, stunned silence. No wonder Producer Xu had vaguely advised them it was better not to film inside Xiaoman’s actual home…

You call this a mountain village cub?!

The crew held an emergency meeting, agonizing over how to make Xiaoman look more “grounded.” He was supposed to be a village kid; he couldn’t live in a house this nice! It would ruin the vibe of X-Change.

Finally, they decided to have the Shen family move temporarily into a farmhouse guesthouse currently under construction. It at least retained the simple architectural features of a village, and since it wasn’t finished, its dilapidated state satisfied the crew immensely.

“It’s still in the village, so it’s not technically lying. Not at all!” the crew hypnotized themselves.

Only Xiaoman felt a deep regret: “Aww, I really wanted to show everyone my sea-view collection of figures. How annoying!”

The crew: “…” So young, yet already so ruthlessly wealthy!

The scheduled filming day arrived.

Full of anticipation, Xiaoman curled up in his usual blanket clutching his giant teddy bear, eyes closed as he waited for the cameraman to enter. This show was a livestream, emphasizing a “real and unscripted” look into the cubs’ lives.

This was exactly why Xiaoman had been so viciously hated in his previous life—his “wickedness” couldn’t be blamed on malicious editing.

Without the plot’s constraints this time, he was actually quite curious. How would the audience react to the real him?

After a long wait, he finally heard a knock. He quickly squeezed his eyes shut to pretend to be asleep. When the timing felt right, he “woke up” obediently, brushed his teeth, and went to say goodbye to his grandmother. His parents were away on business and couldn’t witness it in person, which made him a little sad.

[Oh? It’s started?]

[This cub is so cute! Is he really a village kid?]

[The family conditions are so poor; there’s hardly any furniture. He’s actually scooping water from the stream in front of the door to brush his teeth.]

[His grandma is boiling water in an iron pot! Ah, she’s pouring it into a thermos once it’s done—so that’s their drinking water! My god, it really is the countryside…]

[Why is the popularity of this room so low?]

[Everyone is watching the city kids. Who cares about a scrawny radish playing with mud in the mountains?]

User [Your Daddy Ling] gifted Rocket * 20

User [Your Daddy Ling] gifted Rocket * 20

User [Your Daddy Ling] gifted Rocket * 20

[WTF?? Where did this tycoon come from! 60 rockets is 60,000 yuan—just like that?!]

[It’s only been live for five minutes!]

[I’m suddenly very interested in this cub…]

The quiet chat exploded due to the sudden shower of gifts. Xiaoman, however, was completely oblivious.

Carrying a cloth backpack handmade by his father and clutching plastic bags with the “Ling-Man Spicy Sauce” logo given by his mother, he waved goodbye to his smiling grandmother. In the livestream, he clumsily climbed into the crew’s van.

Two vans drove smoothly out of Maomaotou Village. The crew’s car led the way, with Xiaoman’s van following like a little tail. The mountain roads were steep and bumpy; Xiaoman dutifully buckled his seatbelt, hugged his bulging plastic bags, and hummed a little tune.

The young assistant sitting next to him noticed his mood. Receiving instructions from the crew via walkie-talkie, she smiled and struck up a conversation: “Little baby, what song are you singing? Sing a bit louder so Sister can hear, okay?”

As she spoke, she pointed the camera with its blinking red light at the cub.

Ah, so this is the livestream!

Suddenly getting a chance to “perform,” Xiaoman’s social butterfly nature flared up.

“Okay!” he chirped. He set down his bags, cleared his throat, and sang at the top of his lungs: “The Gre-at↗ Ri-ver↘ flows to the east, yeah! The stars in the sky bow to the Big Dipper, yeah!”

“…?” The assistant’s expression fractured.

In the lead car, the crew members watching the feed choked on their breakfast bread, coughing violently to avoid hitting the equipment. Their faces were a chorus of question marks.

The cub was still happily showcasing his talent:

“When you see injustice on the road, let out a roar, yeah!”

“When it’s time to act, then act, yeah!”

“Galloping through the world with vigor, yeah!”

Xiaoman sang with an impassioned, milky voice for half a minute. Because he sang so loudly, his tiny head felt a bit short of oxygen, and he stopped to pant heavily. Just as he was about to continue, the assistant tactfully stopped him.

“Baby, why don’t you rest for a bit? Singing like that will make your throat hoarse. You sing so well—so heroic! Can Sister ask why you wanted to sing this song?”

She was smiling, but she was crying on the inside. She thought he would sing something cute like “Planting a Seed in My Heart” or “Little Rabbit Be Good.” She was prepared to be melted by cuteness…

You couldn’t blame her for the stereotype; Xiaoman just looked too much like an angel. With fair, tender skin, long-lashed watery eyes that sparkled like stars, and soft dimples when he smiled, he was a total sweetheart.

And then he opened his mouth…

She couldn’t help but chuckle. It was a different kind of cute.

[Wait?? Did I switch to the wrong channel? Isn’t this the channel for the five village kids?]

[How can a village kid be this fair?!]

[No sun + naturally good skin? I’m the same way.]

[I’m dying, hahaha! Why is he singing ‘The Song of Good Men’?!]

[Don’t say it, the cub actually sings it quite well. Did anyone record it? I want it as my ringtone.]

[What color sack does the cub like? Hehe, I’m gonna kidnap him and make him sing at my cubicle.]

[Is this the only nursery rhyme education they get in the mountains? Oh my, he probably learned it from TV by himself. A bit pitiful…]

[True, his parents probably can’t be by his side to teach him songs.]

[Grandma probably isn’t educated and doesn’t know how to use a smartphone to play kids’ songs.]

[He likely hasn’t even been to kindergarten. Poor baby.]

[I want to take him home and give him so much love and companionship, sob sob.]

The comments flashed by. There were many more viewers now.

Xiaoman didn’t know the internet sisters and aunties were pitying him. He straightened his back with spirit and said clearly, “Because the song is exactly what I want to do! I’ll work hard to help other children, and in the future, I want to go out and play with everyone.”

The staff member froze. The chat paused for a few seconds before moving even faster, moved by the village cub’s pure heart.

After bumping along for half an hour, they reached the national highway. The rest of the trip was smooth. Having been too excited to sleep lately, Xiaoman drifted off. The viewers watched him sleep so deeply he almost fell over, his little mouth open and drooling. They laughed in the chat, taking high-definition screenshots of his “dark history.”

Eventually, the staff gently shook him awake.

“Mieh?” The cub opened his eyes blearily.

He looked left and right, slowly remembering he was here for the show. He quickly regained his energy, rubbing his sleepy eyes with his tiny fists and wiping his physiological tears on his clothes.

“Baby, we’ve arrived in Fu City. Do you like the big city?” The assistant held his hand and asked with a smile.

Fu City was the provincial capital, a leader in economy and culture. The busy streets were filled with a constant flow of cars and crowds. Xiaoman loved excitement; he had enjoyed every trip here with his parents, and this was no exception. His eyes sparkled as he took in the skyscrapers.

[Ah, that look in a village kid’s eyes seeing a big city for the first time…]

[It’s so heartbreaking, don’t say it, sigh.]

[If only he had the chance to stay here forever.]

[Actually, he could build a good relationship and then let the foster family be his godparents?]

[What are you talking about? This cub has such strong values; he would never abandon his birth parents!]

Xiaoman followed the staff to a quiet, high-end residential area in the city center. The fifty-story buildings were brand new and beautiful. He overheard the staff discussing that a house here of less than 100 square meters cost over ten million yuan.

“First, we’re going to the place where you’ll live for the next two months. It’s the home of the kid you’re swapping with! His house is very big; you’ll definitely like it,” the staff member explained.

“Mm-hmm,” Xiaoman nodded. He knew the drill. He’d been through this in his last life!

The city kid he was swapping with was a “star second generation.” His father was a Best Actor, and his mother was a manager. In other words, Xiaoman was moving into a Best Actor’s luxury penthouse!

In his last life, he was too busy using the actor’s power to bully people; he never truly enjoyed the mansion. This time, he was going to experience it properly and see if there was anything worth improving back at his little home in Maomaotou Village.

As the crew went to register with the security guard, Xiaoman looked around in boredom. He spotted two vans similar to the crew’s driving toward them.

The staff member followed his gaze. “Baby, that’s another mountain village cub swapping in just like you. He’ll be living here too, probably not far from your new home.”

Xiaoman blinked. Huh?

In his last life, there was no other kid in the same residential area. Which butterfly’s wing had flapped this time?

The vans stopped nearby. A team of photographers and staff climbed out of the first car. Then, the rear door opened, and a thin boy wearing a somewhat old black T-shirt stepped out.

His skin was tanned, his joints were bony, and his short, soft black hair partially covered his eyes. His shoes were washed so many times they had faded to white. He looked like a little white poplar tree—standing tall even in a harsh desert.

Sensing a gaze, the boy cast a cold, sideways glance at Xiaoman. His face held neither joy nor sorrow; his eyes were as calm as a frigid, dead lake.

Xiaoman felt his soul struck by that single glance. He couldn’t move, frozen in a stare-off with the boy.

“His name is Pei Zhiyan. He’s two years older than you. Why don’t you go shake hands and make a friend, Brother?” The staff member gently pushed Xiaoman’s back.

Pei Zhiyan? It really was him. Xiaoman’s thunderstruck brain began to move slowly.

The hardworking protagonist of the original book—the “Long Aotian” cub who would achieve the most in the future.

In his last life, when they first met, what did the plot force him to do?

He had shoved Pei Zhiyan hard and kicked him in the stomach, leaving a severe dark bruise. He had screamed at Pei Zhiyan: “Who do you think you are, making a stinky face at me?!”