Overprotected By My Tsundere CEO

Chapter 807 - 519: On the Road [09] The Three Siblings Finally Meet

The first night of this not-so-peaceful trip went by just like that.

Valeria had trouble adjusting to the environment, tossing and turning in the tent until she finally fell asleep close to dawn.

As a result, she felt she had just closed her eyes—

The piercing sound of a flute entered her ears, startling Valeria awake as if from a nightmare. She sat up abruptly, suddenly realizing that the flute sound that seemed like a deadly curse was not a nightmare but real. She could hardly believe her eyes widened in disbelief.

—Who is so despicable this early in the morning?!

This is killing me.

"Nora."

Clement Winter yawned as he carried a bottle of water to the creek to rinse his mouth. Seeing Nora Scott playing the bamboo flute, he greeted her sleepily.

The crew, shocked to death in the early morning: Clement, you’re a professional musician, aren’t you? Do you dare to teach Nora how to respect music!

Nora paused, holding the bamboo flute, and glanced at him sideways, "Morning."

"Morning."

Clement yawned again, with his messy short hair, and began to rinse his mouth.

Nora, who sleeps early and wakes early, had everything packed up as soon as it got light, even washing the wild fruits for breakfast. Having nothing to do now, she came to practice the bamboo flute.

As a result, she enjoyed her peaceful alone time, while the crew, all the guests, and even the birds and beasts in the mountains were awakened by her.

—Such talent.

Nora continued to practice the bamboo flute while Clement calmly finished his morning routine nearby.

Then he seemed to suddenly realize something and asked Nora in surprise, "Nora, are you playing ’Destructive Demoness’?"

Crew: "..." Little brother, you must be Nora’s biggest critic. How many times have you heard it before realizing it?!

"Yes."

Nora, who was often mocked by Julian Linfield, was long immune to attacks of this level.

—Even her boyfriend was metaphorically stabbing her in the heart, so what else could she not endure?

Besides, Clement had no intention of attacking at all.

Clement said "Oh" and then slowly commented, "Sounds nice."

Nora looked at him in surprise.

Clement further added, "Better than my mom’s playing."

Crew and Nora: "..." So you are a critic of your mom, too.

...

Mortimer Lodge, some guesthouse.

Awake from the noise, Oliver Scott sat up, running a hand through his hair, and incredulously said, "Are people practicing the bamboo flute this diligently now?"

"..."

Marcus Shaw, who also sat up, made no comment.

Sighing, Oliver added, "In the realm of instruments, the bamboo flute shouldn’t be that popular, right?"

"It may not be after my sister picks it up."

Marcus replied indifferently, lifting the covers and getting out of bed.

Oliver appeared thoughtful.

Ah...

Really.

His sister could turn anything into a phenomenal hit now.

For example, the Mechanical Techniques, which had fallen out of favor for years...

Reportedly, more people began valuing martial arts heritage again.

*

The next morning, the four of them used dry rations and wild fruits as breakfast.

Valeria didn’t touch the wild fruits and made a few comments full of disdain.

Resuming their journey, it was still Valeria and Nelson in one group, and Nora and Clement in the other. Valeria, who didn’t rest well last night, moved particularly slowly. After putting some distance between them and Nora and Clement, she privately complained to Nelson about Nora’s bamboo flute, saying it sounded like a demonic noise, not something humans could listen to.

"..."

Nelson gave a polite but somewhat awkward smile.

Even if Nora’s playing was a bit unpleasant, it was just a hobby, not something professional. Criticizing to this extent in private was really a bit too much.

Yet even if Nelson said nothing, Valeria kept her complaints up for half the trip.

"Nelson, do you know Rosie Sullivan?" Valeria brought up another topic.

"Uh?"

Nelson was evidently not very up-to-date with the young celebrities.

"She’s a genius student at the National Academy of Music, specializing in flutes," Valeria explained. "I heard she filmed with Nora before, why didn’t Nora consult her?"

"... You should ask Nora that."

Nelson sensed her attempt to elevate one while belittling the other and was not very cooperative.

This young lady really is...

Chatting about it privately is one thing, but this is during filming.

*

By noon the next day, all the dry food was gone. In the afternoon, Nelson cooked the last bit of vegetables, pairing it with the wild fruits found by Nora Scott to make do with a meal.

By the third day, there were only wild fruits left to fill their stomachs.

Valeria Young was so hungry that her stomach was touching her back. She had sworn she wouldn’t eat wild fruits, but on the third day, she ate the most of them.

Luckily, the journey on the third day was short, requiring only four hours of cycling. And because the next part of the journey would be on foot and very tiring, the program arranged their one and only accommodation during the trip.

The stopover was in a small town, not quite picturesque, but with representative local terrain and abundant greenery, it was a uniquely beautiful sight.

"Finally, I don’t have to sleep in a tent!"

At the sight of the guesthouse, Valeria Young was practically teary-eyed with joy.

A guesthouse meant a comfortable bed, free baths, delicious food... just the thought of it was wonderful.

However, the program team, determined to create buzz and topics, decided not to be accommodating.

"Let me announce a few rules first."

The director shouted through a megaphone at the guests: "First, the accommodation is free, but nothing comes for nothing. There are two standard rooms, and you must clean them yourselves, replace bedding, etc."

"Second, you need to find ingredients for dinner by yourselves—limited to this village. There’s no budget, so you must figure it out yourselves."

"Third, cook your found ingredients in the guesthouse kitchen. Clean up afterward and restore everything to its original state."

After hearing the three rules, the guests could only muster bitter expressions.

They had to work...

Then they heard the director say, "Also, tomorrow we will be welcoming a new guest, who will be our guide for the next three days."

The program team had hinted that there would be a new guest for the hiking trip, but they kept the identity tightly under wraps.

The few of them clapped symbolically to show their welcome to this person, though their true thoughts were known only to themselves.

"Go on in."

After listening to the director’s series of demands at the entrance, Nelson waved a hand, urging the guests to enter the guesthouse.

Nora Scott glanced at the guesthouse and sighed.

—Why did it have to be this heartless guesthouse?

*

Fifteen minutes earlier—

In the guesthouse’s kitchen, Oliver Scott and Marcus Shaw stood side by side, staring blankly at the flamboyant owner who was rattling off demands.

The flamboyant owner was young, dressed with a scholarly sort of depravity, yet exuded a certain flair and even a hint of elegance, like a rich kid opening a shop for fun.

A bright red earring in his left ear glinted as he touched his earlobe, hands behind his back, pacing back and forth as he sized up the two, then spoke leisurely: "You want to know where Clarence went? Work for me here for two days, make me happy, and I’ll tell you his whereabouts."

Marcus Shaw remained expressionless, "How much money?"

The owner clicked his tongue in disdain, as if he was looking at the most vulgar person in the world, "Do I look like I’m short on money?"

"If you’re not short on money, you can’t hire a helper?" Marcus bluntly hit a nerve.

Feeling Marcus was a bit too blunt, Oliver Scott cleared his throat and added, "We’re still minors."

The owner rolled his eyes, "Did I hire you? Did I pay you?"

Marcus Shaw + Oliver Scott: "..."

Seeing they were speechless, the owner was satisfied, snorting, "Who says I can’t hire helpers? They were all clumsy and I ran them off."

Marcus spoke some truth, "Then why don’t you just close the guesthouse?"

Oliver Scott struggled to hold back laughter.

The owner was furious, slapping the table, "What’s the matter with your mouth? Just because you’re a minor, you think you can speak recklessly?" Saying this, he rolled up his sleeves, "With your attitude, you’re asking for a beating!"

Seeing the owner’s stance, Oliver quickly stifled his laugh, stepping in to mediate, "My brother is just straightforward, please don’t mind him. If we help you for two days, will you indeed tell us where Clarence is?"

"Do I speak nonsense?" the owner retorted.

Marcus dryly remarked, "That’s uncertain—"

Seeing Marcus was about to "courting trouble," Oliver quickly stopped him, pulling him aside, then looked at the obviously displeased owner, saying, "We’ll give you two days of profit—is that not okay?"

"No."

"Then what are you after?" Oliver was bewildered.

The owner opened a shop to make money.

Having them work at the guesthouse was essentially about making money.

They were offering him two days’ profit for free, saving time and not hindering his profit... Why wasn’t the owner pleased with such a good deal?

It smacked of something fishy.

—No wonder Marcus kept arguing with him.

"Let me tell you the truth—" the owner cleared his throat, ready to put on airs, but upon seeing their expressionless faces, he was immediately displeased, "You two, show some reaction."

Marcus: "..." Really didn’t want to deal with him.

"Please go on."

Oliver showed a trace of curiosity.

Seeing his cooperation, the owner finally seemed a bit satisfied and said, "My guesthouse is going to be on a variety show and needs two employees with a bit of presence."

Marcus Shaw + Oliver Scott: "..." Oh, so that reason is actually believable.