Chapter 108

Chapter 108: The little snow leopard's furry paws kept stepping on its own tail.

“This snow leopard should be the same one I saw on the cliff before,” Lin Qianyu said, recognizing the snow leopard’s tail.

She had suspected it was a snow leopard back then, but snow leopards typically had thick, heavy tails—this one’s tail was only about half as thick as normal.

Its waist and abdomen were especially thin—skin and bones, no more.

【This cub is so skinny. Does it even have a few ounces of flesh on it?】

【It looks so pitiful. Is it a snow leopard cub? Its size doesn’t match an adult.】

【I think so too. At this age, it should still be hunting with its mother, but from the looks of it, it’s been on its own for a long time.】

The snow leopard was very wary.

From the last encounter on the cliff, it had been too afraid to even peek out from hiding.

It must have been drawn here by the scent of blood, desperate and starving enough to risk entering a human base.

Lin Qianyu didn’t step out to disturb it.

There was a fair amount of seal and sea lion meat in the fridge, along with some lemmings and birds. The freshest ones were on top—not as frozen solid as those at the bottom. The little snow leopard could probably bite through those and feed itself.

She watched from the doorway, listening to it eat.

The snow leopard didn’t take its food somewhere safe but pulled it out of the fridge and began tearing at it on the spot.

It really seemed to be starving, focused solely on filling its belly.

Without hunting skills and separated too early from its mother, a snow leopard cub had little chance of surviving in the wild.

Even being able to eat at all, now and then, was already lucky.

Lin Qianyu had seen documentaries where orphaned snow leopard cubs were so hungry they gnawed on tree bark.

She thought for a moment, then went back inside and poured some water into a lunch tray. “If only there was some milk powder.”

She cooled the hot water down with clean snow and muttered, “I’ll contact the rescue station later and ask.”

The production crew wouldn’t prepare milk powder for contestants, but she could request some from the rescue station to help the cub get proper nutrition.

Outside, the little snow leopard was still eating. The seabird it had pulled out earlier was already gone—only a bit of blood remained. Now it had a piece of processed seal meat in its mouth.

All the prey in the freezer had been skinned and gutted, making it easier to eat.

Lin Qianyu gently placed the tray of water beside the arched doorway. The warm water mixed with snow wasn’t too hot or cold and would last for a while outside without freezing quickly.

She moved with great care, not disturbing the snow leopard at all.

Once the water was placed, she turned back inside. “Alright, let it eat on its own.”

There was still a lot to organize in the newly built shelter.

Lin Qianyu stacked the half-eaten cans on the kitchen table, placing the packeted seasonings next to them.

Over the past few days, she had gradually moved everything in from the tent. Now, the tent was just an empty shell.

She took off her down jacket and hung it up, pointing to the wall of the ice house near the fire pit. “Look here—it’s already frozen over.”Melting quickly meant freezing just as fast. Coming in from outside felt like entering an entirely different world.

As time passed, the igloo would only grow sturdier.

The fire was burning regardless, and Lin Qianyu had already filled everything that could be used for boiling water. The temperature inside was high enough that she didn’t need to worry about the boiled water freezing soon, so she could store extra.

The only issue was—no cups.

Lin Qianyu cracked open a cleaned bird egg and set it over the fire. “I need to find something that can work as a cup. The eggshells here are too thin.”

Plus, they were small and couldn't hold much water. Definitely not as practical as ostrich eggs.

Back in the bedroom, Lin Qianyu unrolled the sleeping bag onto the bed and casually smoothed out the wrinkles.

The wooden bed had been built to match the size of the sleeping bag. Once inflated and laid on the frame, it served like a mattress with a built-in blanket.

She gave the little snow leopard plenty of time to eat, deliberately taking her time tidying up indoors before stepping out again.

The cub hadn’t left. It was pawing at the surrounding snow, diligently covering up the bloodstains on the ground.

Even from the arched doorway, Lin Qianyu could see the cub’s belly was noticeably round.

【Poor thing, it must’ve been starving.】

【I hope the snow leopard can always be as round as its belly looks right now.】

Lin Qianyu nudged the water bowl a little closer. On the polar island, drinkable fresh water was scarce. At least in the past few days, she hadn’t come across a single unfrozen stream.

Sure, eating snow could supplement hydration, but it wasn’t quite the same as drinking water directly.

The little snow leopard, still focused on burying the blood, didn’t notice her. So Lin Qianyu used a walking stick to push the water tray forward, inch by inch.

The thick layer of snow muffled the scraping of the metal lunch tray against the ground.

Still, the snow leopard must’ve sensed something and turned around, only to see a stick and a strangely shaped object.

Lin Qianyu froze the moment it turned its head. Only once it resumed digging at the snow did she continue pushing the tray forward.

By now, the water inside had cooled completely, and it wouldn’t be long before it started to freeze.

When the tray had been pushed close enough, Lin Qianyu pulled the stick back and turned her head—only to meet a pair of blue animal eyes.

“Ha—!” The instant their gazes met, the little snow leopard fluffed up and leapt into the air.

It sprang straight up, forelegs spread, toes fully splayed.

【?!!】

【Oh wow, approached voluntarily and still got scared out of its mind.】

【Is it just me, or is a snow leopard’s jump really that strong? That was a standing leap!】

【Its eyes! The snow leopard’s eyes are so beautiful! What color is that—amber-blue? It looks almost like sapphire. And after puffing up, the whole leopard looks round and squishy. I want to pet it.】

Lin Qianyu blinked at the landing cub and hesitantly said, “Hi?”

“Hiss!” The snow leopard bared its teeth.

Very fierce. Full of attitude.But even while baring its teeth, it backed away—only to bump into the water bowl that had just been pushed out. The little snow leopard immediately jumped again.

It didn’t even glance at the bowl, just turned and bolted.

Maybe... it felt like it was being ambushed.

“Come back next time!” Lin Qianyu called after it. “I’ve got more than enough meat here.”

The sprinting snow leopard stumbled, tumbling twice in the snow before finally stabilizing itself in a thick snowbank.

When it poked its head out with a whoosh, its beautiful eyes were full of confusion.

The little snow leopard took a few steps forward and cried out, “Awoo—!”

It looked around while calling out again and again, as if searching for companions.

“It’s me,” Lin Qianyu said, stepping outside in her down jacket. “It was me talking. Can you tell?”

The snow leopard tilted its head. Earlier, it had only taken a quick glance before looking away—now, it stared at her intently. “Mrr…?”

It couldn’t quite figure it out—how should a young snow leopard judge a human who could speak snow leopard language? The question was too difficult.

It was completely baffled.

“If you can’t catch food, you can always come here.” Lin Qianyu pulled her coat tighter, white breath escaping with every word. She picked up the water bowl—luckily, it had only been jostled earlier, and was still mostly full. “This is water. Have a drink before you go.”

The little snow leopard hesitated for a moment before slowly walking closer, as if trying to confirm. “Awoo…”

Lin Qianyu’s eyes curved into a smile. “I’m not a snow leopard.”

Upon hearing that, it seemed to confirm she wasn’t one of its kind. But the ability to communicate had already lowered its guard. It eyed the rippling surface of the water warily as it approached, cautiously sniffing the bowl.

Lin Qianyu had taken snow from clean, untouched high ground and boiled it, so the water had no off smell.

This kind of water was even cleaner than melted river ice.

The snow leopard tried a tentative lick. After tasting it, it looked a bit dazed—perhaps lost in thought. Slowly, it extended its tongue to lap up more, wetting the fur under its chin.

Seeing it drink, Lin Qianyu turned to tidy the freezer.

The cub didn’t eat much. Even after all that time, there wasn’t much missing from the freezer. It had pulled the meat out to eat but left the inside neat and clean.

Perhaps afraid of being discovered, the snow leopard had only pushed the wooden lid open a little and snatched meat through the gap.

Lin Qianyu took out a seal—its fat had already been eaten by the polar bear, so it was all lean meat. “Let’s make meat soup for lunch.”

When she turned back with the meat, the space by the water bowl was empty. Only two faint pawprints remained.

Plop—a fresh fish landed on the ground. The polar bear gave itself a shake, then sniffed around the water bowl.

“Xue Tuan’s back.” No wonder the snow leopard had run off in such a hurry.

The polar bear didn’t have much territorial instinct. Some polar bears even played together. They weren’t particularly aggressive toward small animals that got close to their resting spots.

By logic, a snow leopard shouldn’t be that scared of a polar bear.

【That poor little stray… seems a bit timid.】

【It’s normal—no parent to care for it, struggling to survive alone, it makes sense to be so cautious.】【Bring the little snow leopard back! If it eats Lin-jie’s meat, it’s part of Lin-jie’s family—no running away!】

【LOL you sound like a bandit.】

Lin Qianyu also realized the little snow leopard was timid. Forcing it to stay might trigger a stress response—she couldn’t just grab it outright.

“The little snow leopard probably went home.” Snow leopards usually choose fixed spots to make dens, often padding the nests with their shed fur. Over time, it becomes a furry blanket, and adult snow leopards will care for their cubs in the den.

Lin Qianyu, not wearing gloves, flexed her stiff fingers and stroked the polar bear’s head. “Let’s go inside.”

“Wuu!” The polar bear rubbed against her hand, raising its head and resting it on her hand.

Lin Qianyu scratched its furry head from underneath. “Come on.”

Even being outside for a short while, her hands had turned red from the cold.

The arctic fox followed behind, carrying a rabbit in its mouth.

The little spotted seal slowly scooted forward, every step seeming extra difficult. It also had a fish in its mouth—smaller than the one the polar bear brought back.

“Huihui, what’s wrong?” Lin Qianyu noticed something was off and went to check. The little seal’s belly was especially bloated.

She paused, stunned. “...How much did you eat?”

It was so full it could barely move.

“Aah!” The little seal even had trouble letting out a cry. It flopped down with its head on the fish.

Its fur was still fluffy, showing it hadn’t gone into the water.

The polar bear and arctic fox were in charge of hunting—it seemed the little seal had eaten quite a lot.

【LOL literally too full to move.】

【Is it just me, or does the little seal look noticeably rounder?】

【Sob... I’d be happy if the snow leopard cub were half as chubby.】

A single fish or a seal wouldn’t be enough to fill up the polar bear, so it probably hunted and ate along the way.

The fluffies had clearly come back full.

Lin Qianyu gave the little seal a gentle rub and took the fish from under its chin. “Next time, you don’t need to bring back so much food.”

The freezer was stocked little by little each day.

She had said this before, but the fluffies were obsessed with hunting and couldn’t help themselves from bringing back more.

“Awo!” The polar bear suddenly remembered the fish it had set down and went to fetch it.

“No more tents,” Lin Qianyu said as she looped an arm around the polar bear’s furry neck. “We’re heading to the ice house.”

The ice shelter had just been finished—it was the fluffies’ first time entering.

Lin Qianyu patted the arched entrance. “Come on, this way.”

When building the shelter, she had taken the polar bear’s size into account. If it were a regular-sized shelter, not only would it not fit a whole bear, the arched entrance alone wouldn’t be passable.

The polar bear slowly walked inside, blinking as the crackling fire made popping sounds in the hearth.Whether in the kitchen or the bedroom, even with the polar bear lying inside, there was still more than half the space left to move around—it didn’t feel cramped at all.

Lin Qianyu half-squatted at the entrance and called out, “Xueqiu, come on.”

The arctic fox responded softly and slipped inside, immediately enveloped by warmth.

It froze on the spot, ears twitching, eyes widening in surprise. “Ying...”

“Feels warm, right?” Lin Qianyu cupped the arctic fox’s little head, her thumbs rubbing upward from its nose to its brow. “From now on, this is where we’ll live.”

With a warm place to block the wind and snow, who would still want to curl up on the ice, relying only on fur to withstand the elements?

“Ying!” The arctic fox lifted a front paw and stepped onto Lin Qianyu’s knee.

Lin Qianyu took the opportunity to scoop it up and hugged its big tail close for a good rub.

The stuffed little spotted seal came in, looking for a spot to flop down. Its tail quietly pushed the nearby fish away. “Aaw!”

Lin Qianyu couldn't help laughing. “Take it slow—just lie down for a bit.”

There was no helping it, and no animal-friendly digestion tablets either.

She carried the arctic fox into the bedroom. “Go play with Xuetuan.”

“Ying...”

But as soon as it was placed down, the arctic fox turned and chased after her again, sticking close and lying at her feet.

Lin Qianyu raised her hand to block its swaying tail. “Watch out for the fire.”

The stone-lined fire pit wasn’t as dangerous as an open hearth, but there was still a chance of singeing a fluffy tail.

“Ying!” The arctic fox scooted sideways and laid back down properly.

With fresh fish on hand, Lin Qianyu decided to set aside the seal meat for now.

Between fish soup and meat stew, she’d rather go with the former.

The fish the polar bear brought back was large—half of it was plenty.

Lin Qianyu also sliced off a rabbit leg. “Main course: compressed biscuits. Fish soup with roast rabbit. This is the most luxurious meal I’ve had since joining the show.”

Usually, she could only choose one of the three.

Though rabbit skin was small, it was still a piece of hide. At worst, it could be used as a cloth or cushion, so she skinned it anyway.

To avoid letting the bloody smell linger indoors, she skinned it near the entrance.

Inside, the polar bear rolled around a bit, then flopped down in the kitchen.

The ice shelter was much warmer than outside. The bedroom didn’t have a fire, but when the kitchen fire was burning, it got especially cozy.

The little spotted seal, who laid down first, was already snoring.

Lin Qianyu skewered the rabbit leg and set it over the fire pit, slashing it a few times so it’d cook faster and absorb flavor more easily.

The pot for soup was placed right next to the rabbit. Lin Qianyu picked up the fish. “Look, the surface is covered in a layer of ice.”The part where the polar bear had bitten wasn’t frozen, and although the fish was covered in ice, it was still very much alive.

When Lin Qianyu picked it up, it was still flicking its tail.

【What kind of fish is this? It’s huge.】

【I feel like one slap from that tail could knock me out.】

【Ever since I started watching this show, I’ve seen all sorts of bizarre animals.】

“Looks a bit like a long-bodied cod—might be a close relative,” Lin Qianyu said as she cleaned the fish and rinsed it with hot water, also washing away the rabbit blood on the ground.

She split it in half—one half for now, and the rest to store in the freezer outside.

The meat in the icebox was enough to feed the household’s fluffballs for two or three days without them needing to hunt.

The seal meat she had set near the fire pit earlier already had beads of moisture on its surface.

As Lin Qianyu stirred the fish meat in the pot, she mused, “A polar bear is still a bear—does it like sweets? Do polar bears eat honey?”

In the wild, polar bears live in environments where bees can’t survive, so natural honey isn’t available.

But polar bears kept in zoos might have access to it—though she wasn’t sure if they were actually fed honey.

Lin Qianyu opened a jar of honey and dipped in a bit with her chopsticks. “Xuetuan, try this.”

The polar bear sniffed it. The scent was unfamiliar—it had never encountered it before—but since it was something Lin Qianyu offered, even though confused, Xuetuan still opened its mouth and bit the chopsticks.

“Don’t bite.”

Crack. “……”

Lin Qianyu was still a beat too late. “Spit it out, quick!”

The polar bear obediently spat out the little piece of wood, then licked its lips, seemingly savoring the sweetness. “Aow!”

“Like it?” Lin Qianyu chuckled. “Alright, I’ll mix you some sweet water.”

She got up, flipped the roasting rabbit leg, and switched to a new pair of chopsticks to stir the fish soup and prevent it from sticking to the pot.

The water she had boiled earlier hadn’t cooled completely yet. She added two spoonfuls of honey and stirred it evenly. Feeling the lunchbox was still too hot, she set it aside to cool before giving it to the polar bear.

The polar bear leaned in beside her, sniffing nonstop.

“Be good.” Lin Qianyu raised her hand and draped her arm over its head. Her hand hung down, just covering its little round eyes. “It’s too hot—if you drink it now, you’ll burn your tongue. Wait a bit.”

“Aow!”

The polar bear lifted its head and licked her wrist.

Lin Qianyu naturally dropped her hand to circle around its neck, rubbing the fur like a warm scarf. “This is the first time the polar bear’s fur feels warm.”

Before, whether in the tent or outside, the outer fur was always cold.

Now, even without burying her hand deep into the fur, the outside already felt warm.

The honey water cooled, and Lin Qianyu’s fish soup was almost ready too.

The seal meat placed to the side for warming had started to soften. Lin Qianyu brushed on a layer of honey and brought both the seal meat and the honey water over.The Arctic fox wasn't interested in sweets, but it did lie beside Lin Qianyu and take a couple bites of roasted rabbit.

The little spotted seal had a keen nose—whenever food was being made, it was always the first to react and dash over.

But it must've really overeaten today; it still hadn’t woken up.

Lin Qianyu looked at the little seal’s belly and felt that even one more bite might make it explode. Just to be safe, she didn’t feed it anything more.

Logically, once it’s full, the little spotted seal should stop eating on its own. Seeing it so full it couldn’t even walk—this was a first.

“You all eat first, I’ll go take care of something,” Lin Qianyu said as she ladled some fish soup into a wooden bowl, then covered the lunchbox and stepped out of the shelter.

The polar bear glanced at her while chewing the sweet, honey-glazed seal meat. Lin Qianyu ducked through the arched doorway and disappeared from sight.

She had already heard footsteps outside while she was cooking just now.

It was probably one of the guests returning from foraging.

In this freezing weather, now that there was a shelter, everyone wished they could spend all 24 hours a day curled up inside.

When Lin Qianyu stepped out, there wasn’t a single person in sight apart from some fresh footprints in the snow.

Feng Jingye’s shelter, like his tent before, was the farthest one from Lin Qianyu’s.

After all... if a polar bear stumbling out half-asleep in the early morning stepped on you while going for a drink, even Feng Jingye—with his steady temperament—could only take so much of that.

“Mr. Feng?” Lin Qianyu curled her fingers and knocked on the shelter door.

After a while with no response from inside, she figured he probably hadn’t come back yet.

She thought it over, then left the fish soup, lunchbox and all, at the arched entrance of his shelter.

He’d see it the moment he returned.

Just to be safe, Lin Qianyu also took a photo and sent Feng Jingye a message.

【Hiss—don’t know why, but when I saw this scene, all I could think was: the island host's gonna show this photo to Xuetuan, isn't she?】

【Hahaha I’m dead, that’s exactly something that obvious little show-off would do.】

【What a joke—Xuetuan doesn’t even have a phone. The island host will have to get her one first, build a signal tower, and send her daily photo updates.】

【Help, you all are out here inventing new forms of torture. Xuetuan’s so mad she probably wants to hit someone.】

...

The fluffballs were still waiting at home.

The Arctic fox was already peeking its head out, pretending it was about to come out.

Lin Qianyu dropped off the lunchbox and headed back quickly. Unknowingly, it had started snowing again, and the wind seemed much stronger than before. “Xuetuan, let’s go inside.”

“Yip…”

There were no windows in the igloo; the only ventilation to the outside was through the chimney.

Lin Qianyu sat by the wooden table, holding the wooden bowl, sipping fish soup in small mouthfuls. Minced fish meat had sunk to the bottom, while some larger chunks floated above. It wasn’t a creamy white like fried fish soup, but with the generous amount of fish stirred in, it didn’t look too bland either.Listening to the howling wind and snow outside.

Before she realized it, the fish soup in the bowl was gone.

Lin Qianyu glanced at the time on her watch, stood up, and stretched a bit. “How about keeping the livestream in the kitchen to watch the animals today?”

No need to worry about the wind sweeping the equipment away, and even if they couldn’t film the outdoor scenery, just watching the few fluffballs at home was pretty nice.

The livestream chat flooded with messages of “Yes!” and “Deal!”

Even if they couldn’t pet the fluffballs themselves, falling asleep to their purring sounds was a great option!

Seeing that, Lin Qianyu said, “Alright, good night. See you tomorrow.” Then she left the livestream equipment in the kitchen, lifted the curtain, and walked into the bedroom.

The only light in the room came from Lin Qianyu’s watch.

The production team had provided flashlights, but since it was time to sleep, she didn’t bother turning them on.

As soon as she lay in the sleeping bag, her hand touched a furry head.

The Arctic fox leapt up onto the wooden bed and curled up beside her.

The polar bear slowly finished the last bite of meat, smoothed out its fur, gave a little shake, then mimicked Lin Qianyu by lifting the curtain and entering.

Soon, the kitchen was left with only the deeply asleep little spotted seal.

Before the chat could even begin to discuss, under the night vision of the livestream, they saw the little seal slowly open its eyes.

【W-wait a minute…】

However, the little seal, oblivious to the chat, looked around, didn’t see anyone, and wriggled its way into the bedroom curtain.

It moved fast at this point—within the blink of an eye, even its tail was gone.

Chat: 【……】

【This livestream is a scam. I’m reporting it!!!】

---Sleeping surrounded by fluffballs was incredibly warm.

The fur covering them could even double as a blanket.

But inside the highly insulated igloo, with the fluffballs all squeezed together and wrapped in a sleeping bag, Lin Qianyu, half-awake, felt like she was being repeatedly roasted inside a giant oven.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the Arctic fox curled up in front of her, its belly rising and falling gently.

Lin Qianyu exhaled, moved her hand, and unzipped the sleeping bag slightly to make a small opening. She reached out and moved the Arctic fox to her pillow side.

The fox squinted open its eyes, saw it was Lin Qianyu, then shut them again, stretching its paw in a lazy motion before falling back asleep.

The wet wipes kept in the igloo were all warm.

Lin Qianyu wiped her face, still feeling groggy, then turned to add some wood to the firepit, hoping to keep the fire going. “Good morning. How did everyone sleep last night?”

“I thought the back room wouldn’t be that warm, but turns out, the insulation in the igloo is better than I expected.”

She didn’t look at the chat, just mumbled to herself: “Yesterday Xuetuan and Xueqiu both curled up around me while I slept. I got heat-woken.”

【And that’s a bad thing?! Being surrounded by fluffballs—how is that a bad thing?!】【Damn, opened my eyes and got hit with this display—if you don’t want it, let me have it! I’ve got no strengths, but I can sure handle heat.】

Lin Qianyu rinsed her mouth, chuckled lightly, and was just about to speak.

Knock knock—someone was at the door. Lin Qianyu paused with the wooden bowl in hand. Who could it be this early?

“Coming.” She put down the bowl, opened the door with a puzzled look, and saw Feng Jingye fully geared up outside. “Mr. Feng? You didn’t come back last night?”

“I did, just getting ready to head out again.” Feng Jingye handed her a lunchbox. “The fish soup was really good.”

Lin Qianyu said, “Glad you liked it.”

After eating Feng Jingye’s fish, Xuetuan had been snatching things from his place every few days. Although Feng Jingye said that once it was taken, it belonged to the polar bear and could be handled however, in the end, the bear always delivered it to her.

Since she kept receiving things, Lin Qianyu felt a little bad. So she decided to cook and give something back to Feng Jingye now and then. Sometimes they’d even exchange food.

When Lin Qianyu accepted the lunchbox, its weight made it clear that it wasn’t empty. “What’s this…”

“Got lucky yesterday and came across a treasure.” Feng Jingye glanced at her thin clothes and red cheeks from the cold. “Take it back and have a look. I’m heading out farther today. See you.”

Lin Qianyu nodded, “Okay, take care.”

As Feng Jingye stepped away, he casually closed the door behind him.

The livestream chat was full of questions about what was in the lunchbox.

Lin Qianyu placed the box on the table. The inside was clean—clearly washed—and contained two… apples?

They looked quite fresh, only a little wrinkled near the stem.

“Didn’t expect there to be fruit in the treasure box.” Lin Qianyu took the apples out. She really hadn’t expected this kind of thing. After all, fruit spoils easily—even in cold environments it only spoils more slowly. Once frozen, it tends to rot, blacken, and stink.

It was risky to keep fruit in a treasure box.

But these two apples were well-preserved.

There were almost no wild fruits or vegetables on the polar island, and even the edible plants required a long trip to find their growing grounds. Whether one could find them depended on luck.

Lin Qianyu washed one apple and cut it into slices, taking a bite. “It’s a crisp apple—quite sweet.”

She hadn’t had fruit in a while, so the fresh, fragrant, tangy sweetness was refreshing.

Didn’t seem like it was picked ripe—maybe it was packed while still green to preserve it this long.

“Roar!” The polar bear, still drowsy, suddenly charged out and roared toward the arched doorway, apparently having smelled something.

“He’s already gone.” Lin Qianyu lifted her hand and offered the apple slice. “Want an apple? It’s really tasty.”

Though it was sweet and tangy, bears generally liked fresh fruit.

The polar bear seemed interested—sniffing it for a long time—but that was it. “Wuh!”

No!

Chewing her apple, Lin Qianyu thought for a moment and said, “This wasn’t from Mr. Feng.”

The polar bear blinked, unconvinced.

【Happily eats whatever it steals from the island host, but refuses the things she offers on her own—this polar bear’s got principles.】【Next time no need to trouble the island host to deliver food—whatever we need, us bears will just snatch it ourselves, ok?】

“You really don’t want it? Once it oxidizes, it won’t taste as good.” Lin Qianyu squatted down, took another bite of the apple in front of the bear. The crunching sound of the crisp apple echoed—ka-cha ka-cha.

The polar bear hesitated, opening its mouth slightly.

Lin Qianyu handed it the whole piece. “Here, have some first. You can snatch again next time.”

【? Oh, okay, so this is how you’re teaching the child huh.】

【@ProductionTeam, Code Red! Code Red!】

No one could say for sure whether the polar bear, after tasting apples, might start tracking their scent back to the treasure boxes—but the next time the show staff goes to restock supplies, there’s a high chance they’ll be intercepted by this bear.

Its first time trying an apple, and it was instantly hooked.

The polar bear ate the apple in small bites, delicately. From time to time it lifted a paw to catch any piece about to fall.

“Ying!” The arctic fox shook its fur and dragged the little spotted seal out.

Well—dragged was a stretch. It had only gripped the seal and tried to pull it out, but the seal wasn’t even off the ground yet.

“Awake?” Lin Qianyu gave them each a slice. “Here, try the apple.”

The arctic fox bit into the apple and paused, barely tearing a bit of the skin—just a surface scratch.

The little spotted seal didn’t even look at it and waddled over toward the frontlines, like it was going on a hunt.

You’d think it was the main hunter.

But Lin Qianyu knew—this was just like yesterday. It was planning to eat while others hunted.

While the polar bear focused on its apple, Lin Qianyu washed the last apple for it too. This time she didn’t slice it—just gave it the whole thing.

She patted the little seal’s belly. “Don’t overeat again. You’ll burst.”

“Aao!” The little seal flicked its tail in protest, signaling it understood.

Two apples, after removing the cores, really didn’t leave much behind.

Before long, the polar bear had unknowingly finished both. It licked its paw, “Wuh…” and rubbed against Lin Qianyu before heading out to hunt.

As it stepped out of the shelter, a blast of cold wind made the polar bear squint. It turned and began walking toward the sea.

Once the door closed…

The room instantly quieted.

Lin Qianyu tidied up the table and took out some meat to thaw.

It was a lot—not for herself, but in case the little snow leopard came again. She wanted to prepare something softer for it.

As she turned the meat over, Lin Qianyu muttered, “The little snow leopard should come, right?”

But it had eaten a lot yesterday—maybe enough to last a few days. Lin Qianyu couldn’t say for sure whether it would return today.

Feeding it sporadically like this wouldn’t fatten it up. To get it chubby, she’d need to serve three meals a day, with the occasional midnight snack and afternoon tea.

She didn’t have much appetite this morning, so she opened a pack of compressed biscuits.Before she realized it, the surface of the meat thawing over the fire pit had already softened—it could be poked through.

The little snow leopard still hadn’t come.

Lin Qianyu thought that if it didn’t show up soon, she’d have to take the meat back to refreeze it.

Otherwise, wasting so much meat would be a shame.

“Maybe I should go look for it? Head to that cliff where I last saw it.” Just as she was considering whether to take the initiative, the sound of wooden boards being shifted came from outside.

It came.

Lin Qianyu quickly stood up, her movements light as she opened the door. “Little snow leopard.”

She spoke first to let the snow leopard know she was there—so it wouldn’t be startled again.

Small animals are easily scared.

This time, the little snow leopard was clearly more mentally prepared; upon seeing Lin Qianyu, it was much calmer than yesterday.

But when it heard her call, it pulled its paw back from the edge of the freezer and turned to leave.

Did it think Lin Qianyu was calling it to stop it from eating?

Lin Qianyu was stunned for a moment, realizing the little snow leopard misunderstood. She quickly said, “I’ve prepared thawed meat for you—wait for me.”

The snow leopard paused its steps at her words, tail swaying lightly, as if a bit conflicted, staring steadily at the arched doorway.

While speaking, Lin Qianyu didn’t stop moving. She threw on her parka, grabbed two big chunks of thawed meat and a fish, and headed out.

Afraid the snow leopard wouldn’t wait, she moved quickly. But after only a few steps in its direction, remembering its skittish nature, she stopped, placed the food on the snow, and said, “Eat this, it’s all soft.”

Then, she backed away, returning to the side of the shelter, leaving a safe enough distance for the snow leopard to feel secure.

The little snow leopard curled its tail in front of itself, pressing its front paws lightly on the tip. It looked around—seeing no other animals—but still eyed the meat with some disbelief. “Aow…”

Its trembling voice was laced with caution.

Lin Qianyu kept her gentle smile. “Yes, all of it is for you.”

She paused, then added, “Take your time. If you can’t finish, you can take the rest back.”

Better to prepare too much than too little.

If there was extra, the snow leopard could take it with it, or she could freeze it again and feed it next time.

If too little was thawed and it wasn’t full, it might go eat frozen meat again—making her effort to thaw it meaningless. She wanted it to have something soft to eat.

A snow leopard that couldn’t hunt likely hadn’t had soft meat in a long time.

So Lin Qianyu had thawed large chunks—enough to feed two with the snow leopard’s size and appetite.

The snow leopard’s fluffy paws kept pressing against its tail, as it stared at her with wide eyes. “Awoo…”

Author's Note:

Here it comes.

Good night, sleep early, love every one of you.