Chapter 19

Chapter 19: "Is This Koala Also Yours?"

The red-tailed Lù Diao tilted its head to groom its feathers. After pecking a few times, as if it suddenly remembered something, it chirped twice.

“Hm? There are spots nearby?”

Animals perceive things differently than humans. Some names given to animals only become meaningful to them after Lin Qianyu explicitly explains and uses them around the furballs, at which point they imitate and adopt those names.

As for these “spots”… Lin Qianyu thought for a moment—it could be a leopard or a mottled poison frog.

However, the red-tailed Lù Diao likely wouldn't be afraid of a poisonous frog.

When Lin Qianyu arrived, the Lù Diao was flying above, sounding a warning. Maybe the injured koala had caught the attention of a leopard, so it sent the koala cub to fetch her. The hawk hovered nearby instead of coming itself—if it had come, perhaps the cub and its mother wouldn’t have lasted until she arrived.

She hadn’t seen any leopard on arrival, probably because the animal got spooked and left due to the presence of people.

Lin Qianyu bent her finger and scratched its chin. “Where did you move to? I looked for you today and couldn’t find you.”

The red-tailed Lù Diao blinked gently, then spread its wings, seemingly ready to take her to its new home.

Lin Qianyu quickly reached out and pressed down its wings. “Hey… no rush. Let’s wait until the koala comes out first.”

“Jiu!”

“I’m afraid that won’t work,” said the veterinarian inside, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

The car door wasn’t closed. Wild animals tend to get anxious in unfamiliar environments. If you close the door and create a confined space, they can become more restless and frantic.

Struggling to get out could worsen the injuries.

From her angle, with the koala cub in her arms, Lin Qianyu could clearly see the adult koala lying on the medical bed inside.

Hearing that, she stepped closer and asked, “Is the injury serious?”

The veterinarian shook his head. “Not exactly. This trap was probably meant for large animals. For something small like this koala, the jaws of the trap don’t completely close. This one was lucky—the spot where it was caught was off to the side. It didn’t step directly into the center and trigger the mechanism fully. It just got stuck. In theory, after applying medication, we could release it.”

But the troubling part was the unknown variable.

The vet hesitated. “It’s just… the koala seems lethargic. When I examined it earlier, it kept making soft sounds even from light touches. The scans show nothing unusual, and all other data is within normal range. Strange… I’ll need to take it back to the rescue center for further testing.”

This single vehicle didn’t carry enough equipment to fully examine an animal.

Most diagnoses still had to rely on the veterinarian’s experience and manual checks.

Its hind leg had been bandaged, but even a light touch on the front paw made it cry out, which puzzled the vet.

While speaking, the vet looked up. “By the way, is this koala—?”

He saw Lin Qianyu standing there, with a black bear leaning beside her and… a red-tailed Lù Diao perched on her shoulder?

Veterinarian: “???”

What was going on?

Even though he’d worked in this rainforest for some time and seen all kinds of things, this scene still left him stunned.

“You…” The vet’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down with difficulty. He slowly widened his eyes in disbelief. That one word—“you”—hung in the air for ages, but he never managed to say anything else. “Ah?”

“What do you mean, ‘ah’?” the forest ranger in the car rolled down the window and called out, “Didn’t you say we’re leaving? Close the door already. Let me adjust the map—we need to head back quickly…?”As the voice gradually faded, the ranger’s gaze landed on the fierce beast and raptor outside—both eyeing him like predators. Even through the car window glass, his words caught in his throat.

Thick trees and vines had intertwined tightly, nearly blocking out all sunlight on this stretch of road. The red-tailed Lù Diao had flown above this natural canopy while leading the way, which was why the ranger and vet hadn’t seen it earlier.

Now, with both animals appearing in the same frame and not clashing, the scene felt almost surreal.

Lin Qianyu stood in the middle, seemingly long used to being surrounded by the red-tailed Lù Diao and the black bear. The ranger didn’t even know which part to be shocked about first.

This—this this this… doesn't make any sense?!!

【Hahahaha the ranger is totally confused.】

【Ranger: Who am I, where am I, what day is it today?】

【Ranger, don’t be too stunned—we old fans still haven’t quite gotten used to this either.】

Lin Qianyu asked, “Is the rescue station far from here? Can I bring the cub with me?”

While holding the cub in her arms, she wondered whether to place it in the vehicle or carry it along.

But since they were live-streaming, if the station was too far and she took a ride, she wasn’t sure whether that would count as a rule violation.

The vet gently pressed down on the koala and, gauging its reaction, replied, “Not far. But the rescue center doesn’t allow non-staff to enter. Since you’re a variety show guest, you can submit a request to visit, but… the red-tailed Lù Diao and black bear probably can’t go.”

After a pause, he added, “Is this koala yours too?”

Lin Qianyu shook her head. It was more like… “Picked up.”

The vet’s expression turned serious. “This doesn’t look like an injury from a trap. And while there’s no visible wound, the cry sounds like it’s in a lot of pain.”

As if demonstrating, he pressed again with his fingertip.

“Ah—!” The usually gentle koala swatted at him hard.

Lin Qianyu: “???”

It didn’t draw blood, but the glove was shredded. The vet didn’t react, seemingly used to getting hit, and silently put on a new pair to continue examining.

Seeing the koala raise both front paws, seemingly ready to throw a combo punch, Lin Qianyu cleared her throat and quickly said before the vet moved again, “Uh, um… it says, stop pressing. It’s stabbing it.”

The vet froze. “What?”

Did he hear that right?

Stabbing what?

Lin Qianyu guessed, “Maybe something’s stuck in its paw, which is why it cries when you touch it?”

Seeing her analyze so seriously, the vet couldn’t help chuckling. “It told you that?”

Lin Qianyu nodded.

“?”

The vet tugged down his mask slightly, but the smile in his exposed eyes couldn’t be hidden. “Stop joking. I’ll take it back to the center first.”

As he was about to close the door, the cub in Lin Qianyu’s arms started struggling hard to get in, and the adult koala on the medical bed also raised its head and called out repeatedly.

Lin Qianyu gently rubbed the cub’s head to calm it down, then added, “If all the test results look normal, then we just need to remove whatever’s stuck in its paw, right?”The doctor fell silent—what Lin Qianyu said made sense.

But the issue was… no one could guarantee the koala’s cries were really because something was stuck in its paw.

Lin Qianyu said, “Please just check its paw first. If there’s nothing there, it won’t be too late to go back to the rescue station.”

【WTF? Starting again, huh? Check first before going to the rescue center? Don’t you know that every second counts in an emergency? What if it dies en route—will you take responsibility?】

【This isn’t the time to act tough just to build some kind of image!】

【The doctor already said all the tests were normal—just didn’t know why it was crying. It doesn’t hurt to take a look.】

【LMAO, if there was something stuck in there, wouldn’t an experienced vet see it? Wouldn’t precise instruments detect it? Sitting here waiting for Lin Qianyu to crash and burn.】

...

The vet was skeptical, but since the ranger was still adjusting the route on the map to avoid areas with known wild animals, the car couldn’t move yet anyway.

If they ran into wildlife on the way back, it’d be a huge headache too.

Since they were just standing around waiting, the vet figured he might as well check.

Even so, as he fumbled with the koala’s paw, his mind was full of doubt: Why am I even going along with such an unfounded guess? But the next second, when his fingertip brushed against something hard—something that didn’t belong in a koala’s paw—his pupils contracted sharply.

He immediately looked up, eyes full of disbelief.

Seeing his expression, Lin Qianyu knew—there really was something inside.

The vet patted the front seat. “Even if the route’s ready, don’t drive yet.”

With that, he adjusted the overhead light, picked up a pair of tweezers, and carefully parted the fur around the paw.

But the koala was uncooperative, crying non-stop whenever the painful spot was touched. Even though it was restrained, the vet struggled to hold it still.

Because of the koala’s struggling, the thing he had felt earlier was now impossible to locate. His brows furrowed; he looked like a surgeon under intense pressure.

Seeing this, Lin Qianyu said, “Hold still—he’s trying to remove the foreign object. If you keep thrashing, the doctor won’t be able to see.”

The koala’s struggle weakened slightly.

She added, “If they can’t get it out now, you’ll have to go back with them for testing.”

Maybe out of concern for the cub—whether it stayed behind or came along—the koala mother still looked uneasy.

Gradually, the struggling stopped.

Its paw rested on the doctor’s gloved hand, completely still.

The doctor: “???”

Is… is this normal?

The confusion on his face was almost tangible.

But seeing the koala this cooperative, the doctor didn’t waste time—who knew when it might change its mind?

He searched carefully, and finally spotted something on the right side. The tweezers locked onto the foreign object with precision and pulled it out—a tiny wooden splinter.

It had pierced the paw, hidden beneath the fur. Without gently parting the area and inspecting it bit by bit, it would’ve been impossible to find.Wood splinters embedded in flesh won’t show up on scans.

Animals tend to struggle and resist when they feel pain. If Lin Qianyu hadn’t said there was something stuck in the paw...

He would’ve taken the koala back to base, and at the very least, run it through all the machines. Not to mention the time and effort, some of those machines cost quite a bit just to turn on.

Because of one sentence from Lin Qianyu, who knows how much trouble had been avoided.

The doctor disinfected and medicated the paw, still dazed. “How did you know there was a splinter inside?”

“It told me,” Lin Qianyu said, pointing at the koala who was now reaching a paw out toward its baby.

As she handed the little one back to its mother, Lin Qianyu asked, “So, do we still need to go to the rescue center?”

“No need. The bone wasn’t affected. Animals recover fast—she’ll be fine in a couple of days.” The doctor scratched his head, still bewildered. “You said it told you? How did it tell you?”

He’d been there too—how come he hadn’t heard anything?

Wait... the koala had cried out twice just now.

Huh?

What the hell???

The doctor was utterly baffled, his mind full of words like “absurd,” “impossible,” “you’re joking,” “this has to be fake”?!

He’d studied veterinary medicine for years, and no one had ever told him there was a subject called “animal language.”

Was it… an elective?

【!!! Holy crap that’s insane.】

【It really was a splinter! The kind that neither the doctor nor the machines could detect!】

【Damn... it was so well hidden. Even after it was pulled out with tweezers, I stared at it for ages and couldn’t tell what it was. If the koala hadn’t spoken up, who could’ve found that?】

【This can’t be real. Even as a Lin Qianyu fan, I’m a bit stunned right now.】

It wasn’t the first time people had seen Lin Qianyu talking to animals. Sometimes during livestreams, she’d even act as a translator.

But in this moment, people felt both disbelief and the urge to shout: She’s amazing!

With all the chatter about this incident, a wave of bullet comments filled the screen.

The doctor also grew serious. “You really can talk to animals?”

Lin Qianyu nodded. “Mm.” She had never hidden her ability.

The koala mother reached out and patted Lin Qianyu’s hand—a fuzzy little gesture of goodwill. Maybe it was a way of saying thank you.

Lin Qianyu curled her fingers slightly and held the koala mother’s paw. The paw remained still, showing no sign of wanting to pull away.

Maybe she knew Lin Qianyu had saved her—so she trusted her not to cause harm.

Lin Qianyu held onto the paw for a moment, then let go, playing a simple little game with her.

The doctor leaned against the car, watching the peaceful scene between human and animal, wanting to ask again, “Are you joking?” or maybe, “Are you faking this for the show?” away from the livestream camera.

But after a long moment of hesitation… he still didn’t say it out loud.If it’s really possible to communicate with animals, then that’s definitely a good thing.

As a veterinarian, the hardest part isn’t the various complicated illnesses—it’s the lack of communication.

When humans are sick, they can directly tell the doctor where it hurts or what’s uncomfortable. But animals can’t do that.

To treat them, doctors either have to rely on the process of elimination, or depend on years of clinical experience and a sharp eye to figure things out.

But if they could talk directly with animals, then many minor issues—like today’s tiny wood splinter—would become easy to handle.

The koala mother didn’t care about the doctor standing there in a daze. She got down from the bed with her baby on her back and was about to run off.

“Doctor?” Lin Qianyu quickly stopped her. “Is she okay to go?”

“She’s fine.” The doctor pressed his lips together, hands in his pockets. “The injury isn’t serious. She has a tracker on her—I'll come back in a few days to apply another dose of medicine.”

Lin Qianyu nodded and tapped the koala’s ear with her fingertip. “Be more careful next time. If you see something unfamiliar, remember to steer clear.”

Just remembering the koala lying on the animal trap had made Lin Qianyu too scared to check her recklessly. Luckily, there was no fracture.

After a pause, Lin Qianyu unwrapped a few pieces of candy, crouched down in front of the koala, and opened her hand. “You can come to me too. I’ll trade you good food for intel, how about that?”

“Ah!”

The koala sniffed the candy—it smelled sweet.

Koalas that liked honey would naturally enjoy fruit candy as well.

It held the candy with both paws and agreed happily.

Seeing this, the black bear came over too. But unfortunately, the candy was limited, and the koala had already taken all of it.

Lin Qianyu’s outstretched palm was now completely empty.

The black bear licked her palm and rubbed against her with a pitiful “Mmph!”

That one nudge sent Lin Qianyu straight to the ground. “Oof!”

The red-tailed hawk flapped its wing and smacked the bear. “Chirp!”

Just as the little bear was about to bite down on her collar in an attempt to pull her back up, it suddenly let out a yelp, “Rawr!”

From inside the vehicle, the ranger glanced outside and saw the two animals getting into a scuffle—with Lin Qianyu caught in the middle, the most dangerous spot to be. Either animal could go into a rage and bite off her ear in an instant.

He immediately grabbed the tranquilizer and jumped out of the car. “Careful! Stay still—don’t move!”

But it was too late.

Lin Qianyu reached out and pushed the two apart, one on each side. “No fighting.”

The black bear, who stumbled a little from the push, didn’t get mad. Instead, it turned its head and licked the hand that had shoved it.

It behaved like a clueless, obedient cub… just a bit too big in size.

The red-tailed hawk, known for its explosive temper, nearly lost its balance and fell from Lin Qianyu’s shoulder when pushed. But it obediently rubbed its head against her hand, then scooted itself over bit by bit until it was back in its original spot.

It shook its feathers, then comfortably rested its chin on top of Lin Qianyu’s head.

The ranger holding the tranquilizer: “……”Why did I come down here again?

After resolving the conflict between the two animals, Lin Qianyu finally had a moment to spare and asked, “What did you say just now? I didn’t quite catch it.”

The ranger’s expression was incredibly animated. His lips moved for a while, then he pointed at the black bear, his hand trembling slightly. “This bear and the red-tailed hawk… did you bring them to the island?”

【Pfft—hahaha as expected, anyone who sees how Lin Qianyu interacts with them will ask this.】

【Even though it might sound more far-fetched than her being able to talk to animals, the Endangered Species Protection Act will smack me awake—I’d rather believe the first one.】

After saying that, the ranger immediately dismissed the idea himself.

Both the black bear and red-tailed hawk had trackers on them—it was obvious they’d been observed since they were cubs.

Others might not know, but he’d been working here for years. How could he not? He had personally implanted trackers in countless animals.

He recalled giving anesthesia and inserting a tracker into a young black bear before, and the way it glared at him back then—like it wanted to tear him apart.

And now, looking at this black bear…

The ranger felt conflicted. He rubbed his face, trying to snap himself out of it—if he was dreaming, now would be a good time to wake up!

Lin Qianyu peeled a few pieces of candy for the bear and red-tailed hawk. “If there’s nothing else, we’ll get going then.”

“Ah?” The ranger muttered for a long while but couldn’t come up with anything more to say. After hesitating, he simply said, “Be careful.”

It was obvious the ranger had a ton of questions bottled up, but he didn’t know how to ask.

Maybe they had already guessed the truth, but just didn’t want to believe it.

Lin Qianyu stood up and dusted off her pants. The black bear, still trying to wriggle into her pocket for more candy, was caught and ruffled. When it looked up in confusion, she smiled and said, “Let’s go.”

The red-tailed hawk hadn’t given anyone else a glance the whole time, but as Lin Qianyu turned around, it slightly turned its head to cast a single glance at them—not too cold, not too sharp—just a look, then it immediately pulled its gaze back and rested its head on Lin Qianyu’s again.

The doctor stood by the car, not in a rush to get back in.

The ranger saw this and nudged him. “Are we reporting this?”

“There are people who landed on the island illegally—we definitely have to report that,” the doctor replied. The animal trap was clearly left by poachers.

The ranger clicked his tongue. “I meant the girl.”

“Of course we’re reporting her too.” The doctor pulled out his phone and started scrolling through his chat history. “If her ability to talk to animals isn’t just a persona made up by the production team—if it’s real…”

Hearing his implication, the ranger nodded too. “Real or not, let the higher-ups figure that out.” He glanced at the phone screen and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Searching for the livestream channel.”

The half-finished wooden bowl still sat quietly by the river, next to a partially cut log.

The koala mother followed Lin Qianyu step by step, with the baby on her back.

But because the red-tailed hawk and black bear were also there, she only followed along and didn’t try to climb on Lin Qianyu.

Lin Qianyu noticed the two koalas and, thinking about the mother’s injury, shook out her backpack and squatted in front of them, asking, “Where do you live? Want me to take you home?”

“Ah?” The koala responded slowly at first, then gave a small nod.

“It rained last night—the mountain paths are hard to walk. How about you hop in here?” Lin Qianyu patted the backpack. “I’ll carry you.”The koala stepped on the edge of the backpack and peeked inside—it was pitch black.

The emptied-out hiking pack was just the right size for the koala to sit in. Its head stuck out, allowing it to see the outside world, which helped reduce the fear small animals might feel in an unfamiliar container.

By contrast, the joey seemed a bit hesitant to approach.

The mother koala quickly settled into position. Seeing this, she leaned out and directly picked up the joey and dropped it inside.

“Ah—” With just a short, sharp yelp, the joey plopped right into Lin Qianyu’s backpack.

“?” The little one looked confused and dazed.

【Hahaha, the koala mom: “Get in there, you.”】

【Surrounded by fluffballs—what kind of animal magnet trait is this?! Kids watching are crying with envy.】

After making sure they were settled, Lin Qianyu slung the backpack around to her front.

This way, if anything happened, she’d notice right away. If it were on her back and she didn’t notice the joey crawling out and falling, it’d be a disaster.

Also, having them in front helped guide the way.

Inside the bag, the joey was a bit too short. While the mother could poke her head out, the little one had to strain its neck so hard to look out that its eyes were practically rolling upward—and still it couldn’t see the road ahead.

Lin Qianyu noticed the little guy was about to fall over backward. She chuckled softly, propped it up with her fingertip, then pulled the zipper down a bit and rolled the top of the backpack slightly. That allowed the joey to rest its head comfortably on the edge.

The little koala squinted in delight and wrapped its tiny arms around her finger.

Just as Lin Qianyu was about to leave, the black bear let out a “woo!” and picked up the things on the ground to follow her.

The red-tailed hawk also hopped off her shoulder, grabbing the machete with its talons.

“Hm?” With the koalas in her pack, Lin Qianyu had no free hands. She’d originally planned to drop them off and come back for the rest.

But now, the black bear had placed the wooden bowl and the miscellaneous items from the backpack securely inside the bowl and was carrying it.

The red-tailed hawk, holding the machete, hovered overhead, seemingly waiting for her to move.

Lin Qianyu didn’t say a word—they had already worked out how to divide the load.

Looking at the two diligent, furry helpers, Lin Qianyu couldn’t help but smile. “So obedient.”

【Yes thank you we can see that, you don’t have to keep rubbing it in.】

【Wuwuwu… fake, photoshopped, not real, a lie! I’m not jealous at all. Not. At. All!!!】

With the red-tailed hawk and black bear helping out, Lin Qianyu didn’t have much to carry herself.

Koalas don’t need to hunt—they just quietly stay in eucalyptus trees munching on leaves.

The fact that they’d run into an animal trap by the river meant there was probably a small eucalyptus grove nearby.

With the koalas leading the way, Lin Qianyu took a few turns. The red-tailed hawk circled above, sometimes landing in a tree to check if Lin Qianyu was still following. Only after confirming she was close would it fly again.

As they got closer, Lin Qianyu caught the scent of eucalyptus oil.

Eucalyptus trees themselves don’t have much smell, but when you break a branch or scratch the bark, a slightly sharp scent is released.

The scent was faint.Lin Qianyu approached a tree. Back in familiar territory, the mother koala instinctively stretched out her paw to touch the tree trunk.

The joey clung to her back as the mother climbed the eucalyptus tree nimbly. “Ah!”

Lin Qianyu waved. “Bye-bye.”

Koalas might look plump and slow, but they actually move pretty fast when they need to.

As Lin Qianyu turned around, she noticed another koala on a nearby tree. This one was more timid—once it noticed her gaze, it immediately tried to hide itself.

—Completely ignoring whether the thin branches and sparse leaves could actually conceal its round little body.

Knowing it was shy, Lin Qianyu’s smile was gentle and light.

Eucalyptus leaves could be boiled in water. Since she was already here, she might as well take some back.

Just from this tree alone, Lin Qianyu plucked a few leaves and tucked them into her backpack. “Boiled eucalyptus leaves are quite beneficial, and you can also extract them to make insect repellent. Let’s pick some and try it out.”

Fresh leaves were needed for boiling, and they don’t keep well in hot weather. Eucalyptus water was fine for occasional use—she could always pick more next time.

Thinking about it, she added, “If you come across eucalyptus trees in the wild, only use them under a doctor’s guidance.”

After that, Lin Qianyu gestured left and right with her fingers before finally settling on the path leading uphill to the right. “Let’s go. We’ll head up the mountain to take a look. That little platform we visited last time felt like a good place to build a home. Let’s scout out the surrounding terrain too.”

“Chirp!”

After a moment’s thought, Lin Qianyu continued, “That cave was full of random stuff—it felt like there was everything in there. If we’re going to build a home, we’ll have to clean it out first.”

As she spoke, it sounded a bit like she was just muttering to herself.

The little bear nodded seriously. “Rawr!”

Mm, cleaning.

Lin Qianyu’s eyes curved as she smiled and reached to touch its ears. “Do you even know what cleaning means, huh?”

“Woo…” The bear twitched its ears and gave another solemn “mm.”

“Haha.” Lin Qianyu couldn’t resist grabbing both of its ears and giving them a good rub.

The little bear stood there obediently, letting her do as she pleased.

Lin Qianyu smoothed the fur she’d ruffled. “Here, put the stuff into my pack.”

Even after holding the wooden bowl and miscellaneous items, the backpack still had plenty of space.

“Little hawk!”

“Chirp!”

Lin Qianyu placed the machete diagonally into the backpack, wedging it at the zipper on the edge. Then she adjusted the straps casually and swung the hiking pack onto her shoulder. “Let’s head into the mountains!”

“Rawr!”

Lin Qianyu had been up the mountain a few times before, and there was a path she was familiar with.

Before the sun set, they had already reached the platform she’d visited previously.

This spot was excellent—situated halfway up the mountain. On one side, a protruding rock face blocked the sun, while in the front, open space allowed sunlight to pour down, making the temperature noticeably warmer.Building a home halfway up the mountain had plenty of advantages—broad view, and easy access both up and down the slope.

Although she didn’t need to return to the original base to rest at night, Lin Qianyu still had to occasionally go back to the director to exchange for supplies.

She put down her backpack and walked to the back, surprised to find that less than five minutes away was a slope leading to a water source.

The river flowed windingly downward—this was likely the upper stream of the river they’d seen at the foot of the mountain.

“This land feels good for planting things.” Lin Qianyu stepped on the soft ground and sighed. “Too bad the show time is short, not enough to wait for the seeds to grow.”

【? The others are still figuring out how to fill their stomachs, and you’re already planning infrastructure?】

【Jiang Ke just cried asking how many days are left. And you? Living the dream, huh?】

【Human joy and sorrow truly don’t intersect.】

Lin Qianyu had taken a liking to this place the first time she passed by.

There was a cave for cool shelter and sleep, and the area in front was good for sun-drying meat. It had ample sunlight and wasn’t too damp.

Having lived under the forest canopy for a while, Lin Qianyu didn’t like the dimness—she preferred the warm scent of sun-soaked spaces.

“Alright, this will be the next base.” Once she confirmed the spot, Lin Qianyu got to work planning.

The naturally formed cave was uneven. At a glance, there were regular rocks hanging from above that looked like stalactites.

The floor was relatively flat. Lin Qianyu used her machete like a walking stick to push aside the weeds around the edges.

She kept a bit of distance from the weeds—if any venomous insects or snakes suddenly darted out, she’d have enough time to react.

But her luck was decent. Only a few little bugs got startled and scattered around.

Maybe because there was no canopy for shade and the area got a lot of sunlight, it was simply too hot for many insects or ants to thrive.

Even so, Lin Qianyu meticulously cleaned everything thoroughly.

As for the inside of the cave, it was hard to see clearly with all the tall weeds. Lin Qianyu sighed. Who knew what might be hiding behind the overgrowth—maybe insects or snakes that liked that kind of environment.

【Could a wild beast be living in there?】

【Not gonna lie, this angle is kind of scary. Very wilderness-core.】

【Are you really going to live in there? Maybe just sleep out on the platform.】

【Wuwuwu... camera, move back a bit, I’m scared.】

Lin Qianyu explained, “There definitely aren’t any large wild animals.”

In the rainforest, animals are territorial. If one lived in the cave, her being here would already count as intruding on another creature’s territory.

Even if that wild animal wasn’t that territorial or wary of humans, there was still the black bear and the red-tailed hawk around—territory boundaries between animals are usually very clear.

So, the fact that no beast had rushed out to fight meant the cave was unoccupied.

And the location was too good to give up. Lin Qianyu said, “I’ll go in and take a look.”

The cave entrance was large—even the black bear could stand up and walk through it easily.

After cutting away the weeds near the mouth of the cave, the inside wasn’t that overgrown either—just clusters of short grasses. If anything were there, it would be easy to spot. There was no way for insects or snakes to hide inside.Seeing this, Lin Qianyu let out a sigh of relief. She ducked under the hanging rocks at the entrance, and upon entering, discovered that one side of the cave was a dead end.

She clapped her hands. “Perfect. We’ll settle here.”

Taking out the insect repellent, she sprayed every corner thoroughly.

Only after emptying the entire bottle did she think about going back to find Jiang Ke for another one.

While spraying, Lin Qianyu kept the little bear outside and didn’t let it come in.

The red-tailed land eagle perched on a rock, and the black bear stood at the cave entrance scratching at the wall, unable to stay still.

There was a lot of spray, and the smell was strong.

Even Lin Qianyu didn’t stay inside for long. After spraying, she came out, coughing from the fumes. “Cough, cough.”

The cave needed a few days to air out before it would be livable.

The black bear leaned in and sniffed toward the cave. Lin Qianyu reacted quickly and pulled it out. “No sniffing in there.”

“Awrr…”

After a long session of cleaning, the cave was finally in somewhat tidy shape.

Next time, she’d have to break off the hanging rocks from above. Fortunately, the area didn’t have the conditions for real stalactites to form—otherwise, those hanging rocks would’ve been a pain to deal with.

Focused on building the shelter, Lin Qianyu didn’t notice how lively the chat was in her livestream.

Some of the grass at the cave entrance had been turned over along with the soil and was now pressed down with rocks.

It was starting to feel a bit like she was laying a foundation by hand.

The comments scrolled rapidly:

【Lin Qianyu! Stop building and go watch the drama!】

【Buying into Xie Yifei’s stream is totally worth it!】

【LOL I just came back from his stream—I thought he actually had some skills, but turns out he just snapped a distant photo of a leopard, and then got chased two kilometers by a crocodile. I’m dying.】

…

Just as Lin Qianyu was taking a break after wrapping up her shelter work, her screen filled with messages about Xie Yifei.

If she didn’t know better, she might’ve thought he deliberately came to her stream to stir things up.

Squinting, she focused on one message. “Crocodile? Xie Yifei ran into a crocodile?”

There had already been word spreading around that there were wild beasts near Xie Yifei’s location.

It wasn’t clear whether his fans had come to her stream for traffic, but it couldn’t be denied that many passersby interested in animals had gone over to check his situation out.

They just didn’t stay long before returning.

So now, a lot of people knew exactly what had happened on his end and were treating it like a joke, sending bullet comments to share it with Lin Qianyu.

【It wasn’t even a random encounter—he was actively tracking animal traces, sneaking through like a thief.】

【Right! I even heard Xie Yifei say, the island isn't publicly owned, and although the rainforest animals live in the wild, they’ve had human contact, so they’re friendlier than animals in other places. And now... he’s stuck in a tree and doesn’t dare come down.】

【Not gonna lie, Xie Yifei was originally tracking a leopard. His stream title was even about leopards. But after taking just two photos by the river, a crocodile attacked him—if he’d been even a second slower, he’d have lost an arm.】Lin Qianyu: "…"

Who gave Xie Yifei the delusion that animals in the rainforest would be friendly toward humans?

Is something wrong with his brain?

They’re all guests on the same program, and the rest deliberately avoid these dangerous predators when they see them.

Even An Lanqing and Guo Yanpeng, who don’t get along with her, know better than to provoke these animals.

But Xie Yifei, relying on his so-called wilderness survival experience, was just utterly reckless.

Lin Qianyu fanned herself twice with some eucalyptus leaves, but feeling no breeze, she rolled them up in her hand and played with them, asking, "Has the rescue team gone?"

【They have, but Xie Yifei’s livestream is shut down now. No one knows if they’ve found him yet.】

"It’s shut down?" Lin Qianyu was surprised. "Did he shut it off himself?"

The livestream was one of the key ways for the rescue team to locate people. Sometimes even advanced positioning systems could be off in the rainforest, and having video from the livestream helped identify a host’s location based on surroundings.

But why would Xie Yifei even shut his stream off?

Comments:

【Not sure… I heard in Sisi’s stream that the director came and started yelling.】

【Apparently, Xie Yifei didn’t want to come back—he was trying to bond emotionally with the crocodile or something.】

…

…

Lin Qianyu didn’t even know what to say anymore.

Xie Yifei was arrogant, overconfident, and self-important. Everything had gone his way since birth, and now he truly believed he was invincible.

Or perhaps, deep down, he simply underestimated Lin Qianyu—thinking that if she could do something, then he definitely could too, and that mindset led him to do these utterly irrational things.

Lin Qianyu shook her head and decided not to get involved.

The next moment, her watch rang—it was an emergency call from the director.

“Hello? Director? What’s going on?” Lin Qianyu answered while pulling at some grass.

“It’s like this—we detected that you’re currently very close to Xie Yifei’s location. If you’re not too busy, could you check on him for us? Or at least ask him to reopen his livestream? From there, we might be able to…”

The director was already furious. First Guo Yanpeng was looking for bears in the middle of the night, now Xie Yifei got chased by a crocodile while trying to sneak photos of a leopard. One after another, none of them gave him a moment’s peace.

He had thought hiring someone with survival experience would make the program run smoother—but now Xie Yifei had cut off all contact with the crew just because they stopped him when something seemed off.

Knowing Lin Qianyu and Xie Yifei didn’t get along, the director phrased everything as a question—whether she agreed was entirely up to her, no pressure.

“I’m not going,” Lin Qianyu replied succinctly. “Adults should take responsibility for their own actions.”

Whether it was the original host of her body or herself now, neither had any fondness for Xie Yifei.

Rather than wasting time checking whether he was still alive, she might as well sit here a bit longer—or even just sleep right where she was.

Thinking that, Lin Qianyu became even more firm in her decision—not going.

The director sighed. “Alright. I was going to say, as compensation, the production team could offer you a three-piece set of outdoor cooking gear. But since you're not interested, forget it. I’ll think of another way.”"Wait a second—" Lin Qianyu suddenly sat up. "Director, what are you saying? We’re all guests on the same show, friends in the same industry. Don’t even talk about just checking on his situation—even saving his life would be my responsibility. Even if I dislike Xie Yifei, I should still do this as a favor to you, right?"

“Hang on, I’ll go check on the cookware now.” She paused mid-sentence, realizing something was off, and quickly corrected herself: “Ahem… I mean Xie Yifei. I’m not interested in any cookware or whatever.”

【…6】

【Wait, slow down a bit, I couldn’t keep up with how fast that face changed.】

【Huh? I accidentally exited the livestream for a second—this feels like dropping a pen in an advanced math class and looking up to find the entire universe has changed.】

Anyway, it was almost time to head back.

Might as well swing by and take a look at Xie Yifei—she’d still get the cookware, and it was a three-piece set. A no-loss, all-gain deal.

After all… she only promised to check, not to rescue him.

Lin Qianyu asked, “Director, are you in my livestream?”

Director: “No, I’m on the way to Xie Yifei’s location with the rescue team. If you’re going, just head down from the platform—you’ll see the river, he’s nearby. Be careful, there are snakes over there.”

“Mm.” Lin Qianyu left her backpack and gear here to avoid lugging everything back and forth later.

She pulled down two banana leaves to cover the cave entrance.

Only then did she head down the mountain with her two furry companions.

Following the direction given by the director, Lin Qianyu walked along the riverbank. She didn’t see any snakes or crocodiles.

They likely avoided her anyway—after all, both the black bear and the red-tailed crested eagle were apex predators, and anything smaller knew to steer clear.

After walking a while further, Lin Qianyu heard the agitated thudding of a crocodile’s tail against the ground.

Looking up, she saw Xie Yifei dangling upside down from a tree, struggling to kick toward a higher branch. The branch below him creaked under his weight, clearly at its limit.

His suspended body inched closer to the crocodile waiting below with its mouth wide open.

Just then, her watch buzzed with the director’s voice: “How is he doing right now?”

“Mm… not great.” Lin Qianyu carefully chose her words, avoiding anything too shocking for the poor director who couldn’t see the scene. Instead, she said tactfully, “He might be about to quit the circle.”

The director didn’t get it for a moment. “Huh? Quit what circle? The entertainment industry?”

“No,” Lin Qianyu met Xie Yifei’s gaze as he dangled precariously, and calmly said, “The biosphere.”

Author’s Note:

【Low EQ: He’s about to die. High EQ: He’s about to exit the biosphere.】

Next chapter will be up in one hour (scheduled in the backend). Muah~ Goodnight, sleep early, love you all.