Chapter 110

Chapter 110: [Those Little Paws Scratching Around Are So Cute.]

Hang Sisi's eyes widened, and she even forgot to drink the water she had brought to her lips.

So cute ahhh!!!

【My god! This is killing me.】

【How can it be this well-behaved! I'm rolling all over my bed sobbing, I really want to raise one.】

【Are all snow leopards this adorable!? I thought biting its own tail and using it as a footrest was already peak cuteness, but that soft little “awoo”...】

【Aaaa I got so excited I jumped off my bed like a carp and ran to tell my mom I want a snow leopard too. My mom slapped me back into my room and said: You look like a snow leopard.】

Sensing human gazes, the little snow leopard shrank back into Lin Qianyu’s clothes.

Before, it had always been lucky not to run into other people when coming over, but with the little snow leopard’s personality, even if it had encountered another guest, it would’ve definitely turned and bolted without a second thought.

Hang Sisi sniffled, “This is the first time I’ve ever seen a snow leopard this close.”

Especially a snow leopard cub.

At this age, snow leopard cubs should still be with their mothers. A protective snow leopard would bare its teeth at anyone trying to approach. Even getting near an adult snow leopard is difficult, let alone such a tiny cub.

“It looks so well-behaved.” Yin Youlin smiled as he looked at the cute little animal, unable to hide the warmth on his face.

Lin Qianyu rubbed the little snow leopard’s ear and nodded in agreement. It really was very well-behaved—like a little glutinous rice ball. With its dark spots, it looked like a chocolate and cream swirl.

The little snow leopard tilted its head back to let her scratch its chin, its head resting on the zipper, throat constantly purring.

Lin Qianyu gently smoothed its fur. “Why’d you come out?”

The little snow leopard squinted its eyes. “Awoo…”

Earlier, when Lin Qianyu was inside, the snow leopard stayed quietly in there licking its fur. With only a curtain separating them, it still felt like they were in the same space.

But once she left the shelter, the little snow leopard was alone in the room and couldn’t sit still.

Maybe remembering her telling it to stay inside and rest, the little snow leopard had hesitated at the door for a long time—only charging out once it saw Lin Qianyu’s open-armed “you can come out” gesture.

Hang Sisi blinked repeatedly, as if glued to the snow leopard, until the water bowl in her hand tilted and spilled on her clothes. She snapped out of it, quickly set the bowl down, cleared her throat, and asked, “Qianyu-jie, we’re planning to head to the snowy mountain tomorrow—wanna come?”

Lin Qianyu, holding the little snow leopard’s paw, asked suspiciously, “Snowy mountain?”

Hang Sisi nodded. “Yeah, the one not far from us. I’m not sure if it’s really called that, but it looks like a big snow-covered mountain, so we just call it that for convenience.”

Lin Qianyu couldn’t recall such a place, but hearing Hang Sisi describe it, maybe it was somewhere she hadn’t explored yet. “Sure. What time tomorrow?”

Hang Sisi smiled. “Time’s not fixed yet. I’m still asking around with the other guests. I’ll let you know once it’s settled.”

Most guests were currently acting solo. Only she, Yin Youlin, and Yu Lingyu had formed a group. They had arranged this back when they were on Grassland Island.

The idea had just come up and she hadn’t had the chance to talk to the others yet.

“Alright.” Lin Qianyu rose with the snow leopard in her arms. “I’ll go cut up some meat. You all chat.”

The fire had been roasting for a while. The side of the prey near the flames had some discoloration, and a closer look revealed that the edges were a bit curled.

Probably got singed a bit by the fire earlier—but still edible.At most, just that small piece of meat got cooked—consider it barbecue for the little snow leopard.

…

Half of the meat was set aside. The small hunting team returned.

From afar, you could see they each had something in their mouths—another bountiful day.

Small animals are all highly sensitive to smells. Especially when they detect the scent of blood and prey in their own territory, they become particularly wary.

But in the face of the polar bear’s overwhelming strength, it probably didn’t even consider this a big deal.

The little spotted seal, on the other hand, was just carefree—when things happen, it can’t do anything about it anyway. If another animal invades its territory, it can’t win the fight. It always seems half a beat slow, with zero reaction.

In contrast, the arctic fox had the strongest response among the fluffballs. It anxiously circled around Lin Qianyu, glancing around and letting out worried little cries: “Ying!”

“It’s okay, sweetie, this was caught by the little snow leopard.” Lin Qianyu soothed it as she stroked its fur. “Remember that little one who came over to eat meat last time?”

Last time, when the snow leopard came over, its lingering scent had already raised the arctic fox’s suspicions. But since the leopard hadn’t intentionally marked its presence or shown territorial aggression, the faint traces of scent naturally faded over time.

But this time was different.

Lin Qianyu pulled open her collar. “Come on, let me introduce you to a new friend.”

Inside the opened collar was a perfectly round fluffball—no head, no ears—just a circle of fur.

“???”

Bullet comments: 【???】

【What is going on.】

Lin Qianyu unzipped her coat and grabbed the little snow leopard, who had burrowed head-down into her clothes, then flipped it upright.

【Hahaha I can’t, it actually tried to hide.】

【See? When your fur is that fluffy, one crouch and you become a big round ball.】

She casually scooped the little snow leopard out of her arms and lifted it high with both hands, “Ta-da!”

The little snow leopard curled up slightly, tail wrapped around its body—it clearly hadn’t recovered from the surprise yet.

The polar bear stepped forward to sniff it, seemingly finding the scent familiar.

The little snow leopard pinned its ears back and bared its teeth in a show of empty bravado, “Hiss!”

Such a tiny snow leopard—if it really fought, it wouldn’t last even one swipe from the polar bear.

It had just taken a bath, using the same natural bath gel as Lin Qianyu. Even after rinsing off the suds, a faint floral scent lingered.

A snow leopard… with a familiar human scent?

The arctic fox sniffed the little snow leopard, then the scent left at the wounded spot on the ibex. For a moment, it too was confused.

【Oh wow, one bottle of bath gel nearly fried the fluffball’s CPU.】

【This is where the little spotted seal's strength really shines.】

【Exactly—too dumb to be confused.】【Hahaha damn, are you being polite? How can you say that about our Huihui—it just doesn't have a CPU to burn, that's all. Why so hostile!】

The fluffballs that had just come back from hunting were all carrying the cold, slightly bloody scent of prey.

Lin Qianyu put down the little snow leopard and grabbed the arctic fox for a good round of petting, even the polar bear. “Come, come, everyone get a bit of this bath gel scent—no fighting.”

She scrubbed left and right, even the polar bear’s furry collar didn’t escape her hands.

The little snow leopard lay on her lap, blinking dazedly as it watched the arctic fox being rubbed from head to tail, its fur puffing up in a fluffy explosion.

Whatever tense standoff there might have been between the arctic fox and the little snow leopard was completely dissolved by Lin Qianyu’s chaotic intervention.

Before they could make eye contact and bare their teeth, Lin Qianyu had already separated the fluffballs, sitting in the middle with one on each side. “We’re having mutton today—see if you like the taste.”

Normally, due to different habitats, polar bears and arctic foxes would never encounter a bharal, much less eat one.

But on this island, it was possible the polar bear might cross paths with a herd of bharals.

Whether it would catch and eat one was another question.

Lin Qianyu pushed the portions of meat toward them. Even the little spotted seal got a share.

Seals are carnivores too—when new and unusual meat is available, of course they’ll want to try it.

“Here, this is yours.” Lin Qianyu placed a small bowl of meat in front of the little snow leopard.

But the well-fed snow leopard wasn’t interested in food.

In survival conditions where meals are irregular, animals will gorge themselves when they find food—eating as much as possible, even until they can’t swallow anymore—because they don’t know when the next meal will be.

Like cheetahs or lions in the dry season, after a rare successful hunt, they might eat until they vomit, and still try to stuff more into their bellies.

The little snow leopard was just like that now—one full meal could last it a long time.

But... now that it was being raised here, this eating habit definitely needed to be corrected over time.

The large chunks of mutton were different from seal or fish meat. The polar bear stepped on a sheep leg and tore off a big piece.

Lin Qianyu sipped warm water and watched the fluffballs eating bite after bite. “Seems like the mutton is pretty well received.”

She hadn’t smelled any odd odor while cutting the meat—not even that usual gamey lamb smell. Seeing how eagerly they were eating, it must taste pretty good.

【I’m drooling—I want some too. I’ve never had this kind of mutton before.】

【If you had, you wouldn’t be in the comments right now—you’d be behind bars sewing.】

【Come to think of it, isn’t this basically the livestream room of rare global delicacies? Everything eaten here is stuff other food streamers never touch.】

Most of the meats here weren’t commonly seen elsewhere.

There were wildlife park livestreams online too, but even then the feeders usually gave rabbits, chickens, or ducks. No one in their right mind would feed a bharal to animals.

Thinking about it that way, the comment wasn’t wrong at all.

Lin Qianyu thought for a moment, then lifted the little snow leopard’s paw by the toe bean. “Dangerous behavior—do not imitate.”

The little snow leopard didn’t understand, but tilted its head up in confusion and followed along, “Aowu!”

Exactly!“Haha, as long as you know what I’m talking about.” Lin Qianyu laughed and lifted the little snow leopard onto her lap, holding its two furry paws in her hands.

“Awo!” It didn’t understand, but responded with full confidence.

The little snow leopard licked its paw, but ended up licking Lin Qianyu’s finger. Maybe it felt something was off—it paused, then tried licking again.

Still no feeling in its paw.

The little snow leopard immediately flattened its ears and leaned in to look at its paw.

Lin Qianyu covered it with her palm and closed her fingers around it, fully enclosing the furry paw in her hand.

“Awo……”

Lin Qianyu’s eyes curved in a smile as she gently pinched the paw pad. “Look, it’s pink.”

And very squishy.

The little snow leopard’s tail hung down from Lin Qianyu’s knee, flopped back, and it nestled quietly in her arms, letting her play with it without resistance.

After cuddling the snow leopard for a while, Lin Qianyu noticed the other fluffballs had gotten quite a bit of blood on themselves while eating. Eating mutton really wasn’t like eating seal or fish—the blood dripped easily and stained their fur.

She put the little snow leopard down and stood up. “I’m going to boil some more water. Everyone’s getting washed later.”

They’d all use the same bath gel, too.

Lin Qianyu opened the door and went inside, with the little snow leopard following close behind, occasionally trying to wedge itself under her feet. Taking advantage of its small size, it was nearly sprawled across her shoes.

But even as small and lean as it was, the snow leopard was still bigger than a housecat. Lying there like that made it hard for Lin Qianyu to lift her feet.

“Trying to fake an injury, huh?” Lin Qianyu bent down and scooped the sprawled snow leopard up, lifting it with one hand under its belly and skillfully tossing it to the side.

The little snow leopard landed on all fours beside her shoe. Its brain hadn’t quite caught up, but its paws had already reacted and stabilized its stance.

The snow leopard looked down to examine the situation, but by the time it looked up, Lin Qianyu was already further inside. It immediately forgot what had just happened and scrambled after her.

Afraid it might get burned, Lin Qianyu scooped the snow leopard up and placed it on the table. “Good, sit here for now.”

“Awoo!”

Lin Qianyu ruffled its head, then turned to add more firewood to the hearth. “Giving the polar bear a bath is going to be a massive task—we’ll need to prepare several basins of water.”

She was only planning to wash off the surface blood; for that, this much hot water was enough. But if she were to do a full soak and clean all the inner fur, she’d go through a ton of firewood, and what she had stocked at home wouldn’t be enough.

The little snow leopard curled up on the table, front paws together under its chin.

It looked like a furry little puffball. Lin Qianyu stood beside the table and idly stroked its fur.

As the water in the food box began to boil, the room also seemed warmer than before.

Once the water was ready, the fluffballs that had finished eating pushed the door open and came in.

“Perfect timing.” Lin Qianyu lifted the curtain. “Snowball, you’re up first.”

The arctic fox paused mid-step. Seeing the wooden basin filled with water, it froze at the door.

Clearly, the arctic fox didn’t like bathing—it was afraid of the sound of running water.

Lin Qianyu squatted down and said, “Come on.”“Ying……” The arctic fox walked over, deliberately avoiding the wooden basin, and nuzzled against Lin Qianyu’s side, its beautiful eyes gazing at her pleadingly.

Trying to use affection to escape a bath.

“Good fox, look at all the blood on you.” Lin Qianyu picked up the arctic fox and, after wetting her hand, grasped its paw and dampened the fur.

The arctic fox licked the water off its paw, shook it, then turned its head and buried it in Lin Qianyu’s arms, refusing to look at the basin of water.

Its strategy was simple—if I can’t see it, I don’t have to bathe.

—But it didn’t work.

Lin Qianyu slowly worked her way up from its paw, gradually wetting its fur. Eventually, the arctic fox couldn’t even lick those parts dry. And holding it like this, Lin Qianyu inevitably got wet herself.

She said with a helpless laugh, “So who exactly am I bathing here?”

For a moment, she couldn’t tell if she was washing the arctic fox or herself.

Slowly, after the arctic fox seemed to accept being wet, she lifted it up and placed it into the water.

When it was suspended above the basin and its paws hadn’t yet touched the water, it continued to struggle feebly, paddling its paws like it was swimming.

But the moment its paws stepped into the water, the little fox instantly went stiff and motionless.

【Those little paddling paws are so cute.】

【Even during baths, these fluffballs are so obedient. From the snow leopard to the little fox, even animals that dislike water become so docile when placed in it.】

【Jealous +1. Giving my cat a bath is a full-on battle. Sometimes it takes the whole family, or there’s no chance of handling it.】

【Tried Lin-jie’s method—my cat hit me with at least ten paw punches in under a minute. Damn!】

……

The wet little arctic fox had its fur plastered to its body, making it look far less fluffy, and also quite slim.

It rested its front paws on Lin Qianyu’s bent knee, with its lower half still in the basin, doing its best to minimize contact with the water.

“It’ll be over soon, don’t be scared.” Lin Qianyu comforted it while gently scooping water onto its body, using a bowl to pour carefully so the sound of flowing water wouldn’t startle it.

Judging by its behavior, the arctic fox was still quite nervous.

“This is probably when your fur’s at its thickest,” Lin Qianyu said as she applied the bath gel and began to lather it up.

During molting season, the arctic fox’s sleek white fur would shed. Lin Qianyu had seen it during its awkward phase—looked a bit like a little black monkey.

After changing the water and rinsing off the foam—

Lin Qianyu wrapped it in a towel and picked it up, leaning down to kiss the fox’s damp, furry head. “All done, see? My massage skills aren’t bad, right?”

The arctic fox leaned against her, looking a little wilted, and even a bit pitiful.

Lin Qianyu gently dried its fur, coaxing it with a smile.

The little fox nuzzled into her neck, utterly aggrieved. “Ying……”

That’s just how arctic foxes sound—aside from huffing, everything they do sounds like they’re acting cute.

After placing the arctic fox on the table, the little snow leopard caught a strong whiff of bath gel.Lin Qianyu ruffled the little snow leopard’s head. “Go play.” Then she turned her head and called out, “Xuetuan—” “Woo!”

The polar bear, in the middle of grooming, lifted its head.

“Come on.” Lin Qianyu changed the water in the basin.

The wooden basin was just big enough to fit one of the polar bear’s paws—getting its whole body in was obviously impossible.

Luckily, polar bears, being natural swimmers, didn’t mind water. They were just used to fishing in cold water, so the steamy warm water felt a bit unfamiliar.

Lin Qianyu picked up the towel soaking in the basin and wrung it lightly, keeping it damp but not dripping.

She said, “Xuetuan, lift your head.”

The polar bear tilted its head up in confusion, only to have Lin Qianyu begin wiping from its chin down to its chest with the towel.

The bath gel had dissolved into the water.

Lin Qianyu wiped down the polar bear thoroughly, not even missing the paws or pads—every detail was cleaned.

After the wipe-down, the polar bear looked completely refreshed.

Lin Qianyu raised a hand to wipe the sweat off her forehead. The room was hot and stuffy, and she was tired. Looking at the snow-white polar bear, she couldn’t help but chuckle, ruffling the fur collar on its chest. “Good thing Xuetuan isn’t fully grown yet. If you were an adult, my arms would’ve fallen off.”

After the show ends, no matter what, she has to set up a proper bathroom here—for the sake of bathing these fluffballs.

Relying solely on the kitchen to heat water was torture.

Lin Qianyu hugged the polar bear and gave it a kiss. “Xuetuan’s so well-behaved.”

She patted the fur on its belly. “Lick yourself a bit, you’ll be dry soon.”

Since only the outer layer of fur was damp and not the undercoat, it would dry quickly.

A pure white polar bear was quite rare. Most wild ones had fur that looked somewhat yellowed and discolored.

But Xuetuan was clearly among the best of its kind. Just maintaining that clean white coat took a lot of effort and care.

When she pulled open the curtain to take Xuetuan outside, the arctic fox and little snow leopard were already fast asleep on the table.

They were lying on opposite corners, one on each end.

Luckily, when the table was built, it had been reinforced with crisscrossed planks to avoid the risk of one side lifting under weight—otherwise, the way the two were lying would’ve made the whole thing collapse.

Seeing how deeply they were asleep, Lin Qianyu didn’t wake them. She cleaned up the wooden basins in the room and set them outside beside the other water tubs.

After all the work, she stepped out and realized it was already dark.

“So late already.” Lin Qianyu weighed the streaming equipment in her hand. Hang Sisi had sent her a private message with the departure time for tomorrow’s trip to the snowy mountain.

Though it wasn’t a real mountain range, it was still a mountain, and a snow-covered one at that. Traversing such terrain was already tough—let alone with a team. So tomorrow was bound to be an exhausting day.

Lin Qianyu said, “Let’s get some rest early tonight. We’re heading to the snow mountain in the morning.”

【No, I’m not resting.】

【Aaaa Lin-jie you’ve changed. You used to let us choose between watching the fluff or black screen.】

【I want fluff! I don’t care—if I can’t watch, I’m gonna riot.】Lin Qianyu pulled her down jacket tighter and spoke from outside, her breath forming mist in the cold air. “Then let’s leave the livestream equipment in the kitchen. That’s settled. Good night, everyone.”

At some point, the little snow leopard had woken up and was now sitting upright on a corner of the wooden table. Upon hearing her voice, it tilted its head. “Awoo?”

The polar night on the island was not suited for exploration.

The flashlight’s beam, hindered by wind and snow, didn’t offer much visibility.

Therefore, all movements had to be made with the aim of returning to the shelter before sunset.

Unless, of course, they encountered a spot en route where they could rest and take shelter from the snow—then a break would be reasonable.

The next day, the guests all got up early.

Even before their minds had cleared, their bodies were already carrying backpacks, heading toward the snow mountain.

“Hey! Good morning, everyone.” Lin Qianyu, well-rested from the night before, held up the livestream device and turned to show her face. “It’s now 6:05 a.m. We are currently on the way to the snow mountain.”

The camera angle gave the feel of a first-person view, offering strong immersion.

“We’re lucky—the snowstorm is gradually weakening, can you all feel it?” Lin Qianyu raised her hand to catch falling snowflakes. They stayed momentarily on her gloves before quickly melting.

The snowstorm from last night had continued until now. Lin Qianyu figured it would completely stop in another half hour.

She lifted the livestream device. “Today, both the snow leopard and Xuetuan are with us. Huihui is scouting ahead. Xuetuan—” She turned the camera, but the polar bear was nowhere in sight.

She raised an eyebrow in confusion. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the polar bear’s tail just entering the frame. She swung the camera fully in that direction, and the polar bear slowly came into view. Behind it, a guest was completely blocked from sight.

【Ah, Mr. Feng again.】

【Guess which unlucky guest is being blocked. First, eliminate Feng Jingye.】

【Sure, let’s eliminate the right answer first, huh.】

The tension between Feng Jingye and the polar bear was a running joke—every time they saw each other, a clash would follow. The other guests were used to it by now.

“Xuetuan? Stop sniffing Mr. Feng.” Lin Qianyu turned back—there’d already been a chase scene when they left earlier. Somehow, the two were now locked in another standoff.

The polar bear had bitten down on Feng Jingye’s arm and wasn’t letting go, baring its teeth aggressively.

The sound of grinding from between the bear’s teeth, combined with the howling wind, gave the illusion that bones were being crushed.

Lin Qianyu hurried over. “Xuetuan, let go!”

Up close, she saw that the bear’s teeth had sunk deeply into the coat sleeve. It clearly hadn’t been a light bite.

But Feng Jingye hadn’t let out a single cry of pain.

Lin Qianyu ran her hand along the polar bear’s neck and placed her hand on Feng Jingye’s arm. “Xuetuan…”

The moment she opened her mouth, she froze. What she was touching felt like... just the down jacket.

Feng Jingye unzipped the sleeve from inside. His arm was perfectly fine. “Don’t worry, I’m okay.”

【……??】

【I blinked and completely missed what was going on there.】

【Help! I was wondering how he was so stoic while getting bitten that hard. Turns out he wasn’t bitten at all.】The polar bear looked at the hand Feng Jingye had used, then glanced at the other hand still tucked inside the down jacket sleeve. Its gaze finally landed in silence on the sleeve it had bitten. “Roar—!”

It let out an angry growl.

Feng Jingye seized the chance to yank his sleeve back and dodged to the side.

Lin Qianyu reached out, but the polar bear couldn't stop its momentum and pounced forward. Its strength was considerable, and she lost her balance and fell backward.

Fortunately, behind her was a thick pile of snow.

“Ah!”

After a short yelp, Lin Qianyu was completely buried in the snow. It was soft and didn’t hurt—snow surrounded her on all sides.

The little snow leopard and the Arctic fox popped their heads out from nearby.

“Awoo?!”

“Ying!”

They anxiously started digging like mad, pawing away the snow around her on both sides, trying to dig Lin Qianyu out from underneath.

“Woo!” The polar bear stopped chasing Feng Jingye and turned back, nudging Lin Qianyu. It cautiously opened its mouth, trying to bite onto her clothes to pull her up.

But after a few attempts at adjusting the angle, it still didn’t dare bite down. In the end, it brushed the snow off her shoulder, then followed the strap of her backpack buried under the snow and gently bit down on it.

Following its tug, Lin Qianyu sat up. She wrapped an arm around each side and ruffled the polar bear’s ears. “I’m fine. Just tripped a little.”

As she spoke, she stood up and stomped her feet, shaking snow off her body in soft flurries.

The snow was so thick that even if she had fallen from a higher place, it probably wouldn’t have hurt at all.

Looking into the distance, she saw two trails in the snow—no surprise there, the Arctic fox and the little snow leopard had charged straight through the snow to reach her.

They had quite literally made their own paths.

Lin Qianyu brushed the snow off their fur. “Let’s go. We’re continuing on.”

The little spotted seal in front had nearly gotten itself lost.

After finally finding a spot where the snow was thinner, it turned its head to look at Lin Qianyu. Seeing that she was slowly following behind, it charged forward again. “Ah-ao!”

Feng Jingye shook the sleeve that had been bitten, then slapped it hard. With a soft poof, feathers sprayed out from the tear.

The polar bear stared at it intently for a moment.

Feng Jingye gave it another slap.

“Roar—!”

“Xuetuan?!”

The Arctic fox, having worked with the polar bear on hunts for a while now, immediately bolted forward as well.

The snow leopard looked hesitantly at Lin Qianyu, then at the polar bear. “Awoo?”

Lin Qianyu scooped the snow leopard into her arms and chased after them.The little spotted seal up front noticed the commotion and immediately joined the chase without a second thought. “Ah-ao!”

Sliding across the ground with great momentum, the seal left a trail as it drifted and boldly blocked Feng Jingye’s path.

However—no matter how wide the round seal opened its mouth, it still had zero intimidation factor.

Feng Jingye didn’t even slow down and simply stepped right over it in one stride.

The little seal tried to lift its head like doing a sit-up, but its belly was too thick—only its neck tilted up slightly, and its beady black eyes were full of confusion.

【Hahahaha, if its belly were just a little higher, it would've absolutely tripped Feng Jingye face-first!】

【He’d be eating snow for sure!】

【Small but ambitious. If the host kicked it once, it might cry for ages.】

【Someone pick it up and put it in a tree. Don’t ask why. I just want to see it.】

Feng Jingye ran ahead, with the polar bear, Arctic fox, and little seal persistently chasing behind him.

Lin Qianyu, holding the little snow leopard, saw that Feng Jingye was managing fine and didn’t rush to intervene.

Speaking of which, Feng Jingye’s stamina really was impressive. It was clear he worked out often. Even while carrying heavy gear, he ran steadily over deep, uncertain snow. Without solid fundamentals, he’d have face-planted into the snowdrift already.

Seeing that they were getting a bit far ahead and the little snow leopard wasn’t about to join the chase again, Lin Qianyu set it down to walk beside her. Watching the scene in the distance, she couldn’t help but comment, “They’re not seriously going to run all the way to the top of the mountain, are they?”

The little seal wasn’t as relentless as the polar bear or Arctic fox, but it still kept up the pursuit. Even when it got tired, it only slowed down without stopping.

If the polar bear was chasing Feng Jingye because of their strained relationship, then the seal and the fox were purely doing it for fun.

Plus, they were used to hunting together now, so when the polar bear gave chase, their first instinct was to join in.

The other guests were stunned.

Hang Sisi muttered, “I thought President Feng’s back-and-forth with the tiger was just part of the script.”

After all, it was his own island, with animals he raised from a young age. How could they not be affectionate toward him?

Her first reaction when watching the livestream had been: he’s building a persona. Start off being disliked by the animals, then reconcile later, and finally join forces to conquer Rainforest Island—classic character arc.

It was the kind of storyline that drew attention.

Even later on, during the Grassland Island segment and his conflict with the white lion, Hang Sisi had subconsciously interpreted it through that marketing lens.

But watching Feng Jingye being chased by a polar bear in real time now, Hang Sisi finally realized she might’ve been overthinking things.

Feng Jingye really wasn’t liked by animals.

Huh???

He raised them from infancy! Even if it were just a turtle, after raising it for so long, it would at least poke its head out when you called its name.

Hang Sisi stared in a daze, unable to stop herself from wondering: how did Feng Jingye even manage this?

And the way they hit him—just right—not enough to maim, but enough to make a statement. It was honestly impressive.

Hang Sisi scratched her head in curiosity, but her hand only reached her hat. Suddenly, she stepped on something, slipped, and toppled uncontrollably to the side.

Lin Qianyu quickly reached out and grabbed her arm, exerting a bit of strength at the wrist to pull her upright. “Careful.”That moment just now scared Hang Sisi so much her face went pale. “Qianyu-jie…”

Lin Qianyu said, “Watch your step. What had you so lost in thought?”

Hang Sisi sighed. “I was thinking about President Feng. It’s unbelievable. Really.”

She paused, then added, “Of course, Qianyu-jie, you’re still the most unbelievable. President Feng comes second.”

Lin Qianyu: “…”

That level of precision wasn’t really necessary.

【Oh my god, I’m laughing so hard I’m crying.】

【This is basically Wilderness turned full-on comedy.】

【If we’re talking like that, I still vote that the ability to talk to animals is real. From episode one till now, I still can’t fully believe it.】

【If that kind of power really existed, she’d be in a lab by now.】

【Mmm… but Lin-jie is now with President Feng, and on this island, let’s be honest, anything President Feng wants tightly guarded is locked down tight. Anyone interested in Lin-jie probably wouldn’t dare make a move.】

【Fake, guys. Director Su already said it’s all the writers’ doing. Just enjoy the show.】

……

Lin Qianyu popped two pieces of candy into her mouth and handed two to Hang Sisi. “Let’s go. If we wait any longer, we’ll lose the group.”

They’d stood still for a while, and the rest of the guests had already walked far ahead.

Hang Sisi ate the candy and said, “Okay.”

The little snow leopard rubbed against her leg, then stood on its hind legs, placing its front paws on Lin Qianyu’s pants and pawing upward. “Awoo…”

“Tired?” Lin Qianyu bent down and scooped it up, casually brushing the snow off its fur before holding it in her arms.

“Wu.” The little snow leopard curled up its paws and tucked its head into the crook of her arm.

It wasn’t really tired—it just didn’t want to walk and wanted to be held.

The Arctic fox’s stamina wasn’t great; after all, it never relied on long chases to hunt but rather its sharp hearing and precise judgment.

So, as it failed to catch up, it gradually slowed down.

The polar bear could chase a beluga in the water, but on land, it was clearly at a disadvantage due to its size.

But Xue Tuan had probably gotten used to chasing people—so with time, it had trained itself and kept up the pursuit.

Feng Jingye’s breathing was uneven. He bent forward, hands braced on his knees. Fog clung to the edges of his anti-fog goggles—sign he was near his limit.

“Roar…” The polar bear walked a few steps forward. Even its growl was weak, but it still bared its teeth at him.

Feng Jingye gritted his teeth, turned his head, and kept running.

The polar bear lunged forward and bit down hard on his sleeve.

Too exhausted to fight back, they didn’t end up tussling.

Feng Jingye simply let it bite him.When Lin Qianyu arrived, Feng Jingye and the polar bear were already lying on the ground. The polar bear would kick him once after resting a bit, and Feng Jingye didn’t fight back. After getting kicked twice, he suddenly rolled over—causing the polar bear to miss and fall hard on its rear.

“Haha—!”

“ROAR!!!”

Lin Qianyu: “……”

Looks like this battle wasn’t over yet.

Lin Qianyu sighed, took out canned food and fish from her backpack, and started a fire on the spot to prepare breakfast.

This snow mountain couldn’t really be called a “mountain,” but it was definitely much taller than a regular slope—barely qualifying as a sizable hill.

It was their first time here, overlooking the snowy landscape from above.

Hang Sisi stood at the edge and looked back on the path they’d come, unable to resist capturing the moment with the livestream equipment from her own perspective.

Worried there might be no trees at the top, Lin Qianyu had even brought firewood up in her backpack.

“You know, the view really is better from up here.” Lin Qianyu propped her chin on one hand. In front of her stretched a long slope, covered in pristine white snow, sloping all the way down.

She wondered—if she tossed a snowball the size of a palm down that slope, would it roll into a massive ball taller than a person by the time it reached the bottom?

“Xue Tuan, stop fighting and come eat something.” Aside from the essentials, her backpack was filled with meat.

It was all for the fluffballs—so if they were out and didn’t want to hunt, the meat might not fill them completely, but it would at least keep them from going hungry.

The polar bear kicked Feng Jingye aside, stood up, gave its fur a shake, and called back to Lin Qianyu with a loud, “Awoo—!”

“Aaaooo!” The little spotted seal rolled in the snow, then shook the snow off its face and turned to leave.

Charge!

“Hm? Huihui!” Lin Qianyu quickly grabbed the little seal’s tail. “You can’t go hunt by yourself.”

The little spotted seal looked confused. “Ah?”

Lin Qianyu nodded firmly. “Mm.”

“Ah…” The seal seemed to understand, and after she let go, it darted off to find the polar bear.

Lin Qianyu: “...Will Huihui start partnering with other polar bears to hunt someday?”

【Uhh, what? A strange polar bear: Thank you, Nature, for this generous offering.】

【Polar bear: I don’t even know what happened. One day this giant spicy stick just kept chasing me asking to be hunting partners.】

【Wait—is there even a spicy stick that thick?】

【What the heck! Why is there so much malice toward one little spotted seal!】

The Arctic fox had been lying down to rest, but seeing what happened, also followed after them.

Lin Qianyu twirled the little snow leopard’s fluffy paw between her fingers and asked, “Wanna go too, little one?”

“Awoo…” The little snow leopard, half-asleep, turned over in her arms and rested its paw on her wrist.

Lin Qianyu gently grasped it in return. “Then let’s go next time.”"Oo." The little snow leopard responded softly.

After the other guests came up, they casually found spots to drop their backpacks, then eagerly began surveying the surroundings.

It wasn’t much different from below, really—but standing at the edge and looking down gave a completely different feeling.

While boiling water, Lin Qianyu noticed the light beside her dim slightly.

She turned her head and saw Feng Jingye removing his goggles to wipe them. “Got a light? I’ll trade you a can of fruit.”

“It’s just fire, no need to trade,” she replied. It wasn’t exactly a rare commodity.

Besides, Lin Qianyu noted there were trees nearby—someone like Feng Jingye could easily start a fire in no time.

Feng Jingye put his goggles back on, holding out two cans of fruit. The peach design on the label took up most of the space. “Still, a trade’s fair. Give and take.”

Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow. “Canned yellow peaches? You found them in a treasure chest?”

“Yeah. Found them yesterday. The expiration date’s fresh. I was going to bring them to you yesterday, but I got back late. Thought you were already asleep, so I didn’t bother. I don’t like sweet stuff anyway—if I keep these, they’ll just go unopened until the end of the show. So? Trade or not?”

“If we’re trading…” Lin Qianyu was very interested in the peaches, but fire wasn’t worth much as a trade. After thinking a moment, she said, “Forget the fire. I’ve got plenty of canned meat—let’s have lunch together instead.”

A meal was a far more practical trade than fire.

Feng Jingye set down the cans and pulled out two more cans of meat from his backpack to place beside them.

Just as Lin Qianyu was about to speak, Feng Jingye looked at her and said, “There’s something stuck on your hat, right here.”

“Hmm?” Lin Qianyu raised a gloved hand to touch the spot he mentioned. “Here?”

With gloves on, she didn’t feel anything.

“No, it’s…” He tried to correct her position, speaking as he reached out, “It’s probably some snow that melted and froze again, turning into—!”

Before he could finish, Feng Jingye suddenly lurched forward as if launched, taking two steps down the slope, but the momentum was too much—he couldn’t stop himself and ended up sprinting downhill.

A full-on downhill sprint.

Apart from that first step, every step after was entirely involuntary.

Lin Qianyu: “?!!”

The polar bear, having just returned, licked its paw and slowly walked over to where Feng Jingye had been standing.

It watched the man still running downhill, then let out what sounded like a faint snort from its nose—“hmph.”

The polar bear turned its head and gently licked Lin Qianyu’s cheek. “Mrr.”

Author’s Note:

Here we are.

Goodnight, sleep early, love each and every one of you.