Chapter 21
Chapter 21
“Let’s move today!”
“……”
The scene instantly fell into a dead silence.
Especially Guo Yanpeng—his face turned green, then purple.
Absurd!
“This is… hey…” Guo Yanpeng found the situation utterly ridiculous. “Director, is this your doing too? To promote Lin Qianyu, you really stop at nothing.”
He had just tried to suppress Lin Qianyu with the whole team-up issue, and then the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle brought over such a large number of seashells. In comparison, the two little buckets he and his teammate had just filled looked like a complete joke.
“Bullshit!” the director couldn’t help but curse.
He also found it unbelievable. In situations like this, anyone’s first reaction would be to assume the director wrote it into the script—but the problem was, he really didn’t know anything about it!
The director swallowed hard, rubbed his face twice, then raked a hand through his hair, utterly baffled.
For a moment, he even felt a bit lost and started doubting himself: Was this… something I planned?
Can’t be. When did I write that script?
Maybe I haven’t woken up yet—this must be a dream.
The director pinched the philtrum under his nose hard in front of the livestream camera. “Ow—” he muttered, “yup, that hurts.”
“Hiss—” he sucked in a breath. “Pause the task for now. I swear on my integrity, Wilderness has no script. I’ll call over the staff from that section to verify it right now.”
Because the beach was too big, each staff member was in charge of their own designated section. Some were too far away and hadn’t made it back yet.
The director glanced at the serial number marked on the side of a seashell, then picked up his phone and started making calls.
Lin Qianyu bent her fingers and rubbed the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle’s chin, unwrapped a piece of fruit candy, “Want one?”
“Chirp.”
Lin Qianyu unwrapped several pieces in a row, rolling the candy wrappers at her fingertips.
When feeding the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle, unlike with the little bear, she didn’t dare give it a whole handful. She only gave one at a time, waiting for it to finish before offering another—afraid it might choke on the candy.
She hadn’t had breakfast, so a piece of candy helped restore a bit of energy.
Everyone present was curious about the seashells brought by the eagle—what exactly was going on?
But Lin Qianyu remained calm and composed, even had time to tease the bear with a fan.
【My god, sis, everyone’s suspecting you of staging the whole thing, and you’re just chilling like this.】
【Such a chill mindset.】
【Of course she’s chill. A script this fake is being broadcast live—she must have some serious connections.】
【Lmao, saying Lin Qianyu has powerful backing is the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.】
…
The roar of a beach buggy grew louder as it approached.The staff member in the uniform designated by the production team strode over. “Director, you called me?”
As he walked over and spotted the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle perched on Lin Qianyu’s shoulder, his steps visibly slowed, and he even veered off to the side a little.
The director grunted in response and extended his hand. “Give me your recording device.”
To ensure staff safety and monitor their tasks, every crew member wore a recording device during working hours—similar in range and function to the guests’ livestream equipment, except theirs recorded instead of broadcasting live.
“This should have captured something,” the director muttered, thinking that if the footage showed the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle picking up the shells on its own, it would prove there was no script—just the eagle’s own idea to bring them to Lin Qianyu.
Right in front of all the guests, the director fast-forwarded the footage to the point where the shells were first being placed.
Guo Yanpeng curled his lip in disdain, already convinced the shells had been secretly planted by the director’s team to benefit Lin Qianyu. He scoffed at the video.
The footage played on. It wasn’t until halfway through that the shadow of the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle appeared behind the staff member diligently placing shells on the ground.
At first, the staff member didn’t notice anything and continued digging holes to bury the shells.
The eagle circled twice, landing near the edge of the frame—only a few tail feathers were visible.
Then, matching the staff member’s movements, it gradually came into full view.
Everyone watched as the eagle scratched at the sand where the staff member had just buried a shell and dug it out from the shallow sand, dropping it onto the beach.
When it saw the first shell, the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle tilted its head, pawed it, and flipped it over, clearly puzzled.
Then it glanced at the staff member holding the bucket, blinked, and went on to dig out the next shell.
The eagle picked up shells one by one with its claws, while the staff member had to dig holes, drop shells, and cover them again with sand.
The many steps involved meant that the eagle had already dug out all the shells in front while the staff member was still busy burying them behind.
Seeing this, Lin Qianyu couldn’t help but chuckle softly. She then realized laughing out loud might not be appropriate, so she was about to press her lips together to suppress it—when she noticed the other guests were all holding in their laughter as well.
Yin Youlin covered his mouth with a hand, his chest rising and falling—clearly on the verge of bursting out laughing.
【Hahahahaha I’m dying. Bro, just turn around and look!】
【It’s like planting rice in the front and digging it up from behind. Look back at the trail of holes, LOL.】
【Holy crap, turns out the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle really did pick up all those shells.】
The video continued.
The staff member stopped and straightened up, wiping sweat from his brow. Bending over for so long had made his back ache, so he stood there for a moment to rest.
The Red-tailed Mountain Eagle, waiting patiently behind him to dig more shells, poked its head out from behind and looked at him suspiciously.
In the video, the staff member was startled and flinched, accidentally kicking over the bucket beside him.
All the crew members had received onboarding training and knew which animals in the rainforest were highly aggressive and should not be provoked—and the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle was definitely on that list.
So when the staff member saw it, he was too scared to move.
Fortunately, the eagle wasn’t focused on him—it was staring at the shells on the beach.
After a brief standoff, the staff member spoke up nervously and tentatively pushed the bucket over. “Is… is this what you want?”
The Red-tailed Mountain Eagle flapped its wings, stepped back two paces, then turned and flew away.The staff member was terrified, quickly picked up the bucket, and began tossing shells onto the ground haphazardly.
It seemed like he just wanted to finish his task quickly and get out of there.
What he didn’t expect was that the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle would return so soon—and not just that, it came back carrying a plastic bag in its beak.
Upon seeing this, the staff member sighed. “I thought the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle had gotten tangled in a plastic bag out there, so I tried to help remove it.”
He had mentally prepared himself for a long time before daring to reach out—dealing with a bird of prey isn’t something you do casually. If he hadn’t seen the eagle’s gentle side on Lin Qianyu’s livestream, he really wouldn’t have dared.
But in the footage, the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle misunderstood his action as trying to snatch the bag and promptly swiped at the staff member with its claw.
As the staff member quickly yanked his hand back, the eagle placed the plastic bag on the ground, picked up a shell, and dropped it inside the bag.
【???】
【…So it’s not that it didn’t want the shells. It just didn’t like your bucket.】
【Awwww so cute! It’s putting all the shells meant for Lin Qianyu into the plastic bag Lin Qianyu gave it!】
The staff member watched in astonishment and then tried to help by taking shells out of the bucket to put into the plastic bag.
But the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle didn’t even look his way—just swiped at him again with a claw.
…
Watching the staff member get swiped twice in such a short span on video, the eagle perched on Lin Qianyu’s shoulder ruffled its feathers.
Lin Qianyu gently patted its wing and explained, “It only acted out because it thought you were trying to take something from it.”
The staff member understood now—he had first tried to help by reaching for the plastic bag, which the eagle thought was a theft attempt. Then he reached again, and the bird naturally thought the same thing.
Toward the end of the video, after collecting enough shells, the eagle flew off with the plastic bag, leaving the poor staff member standing amid the empty beach, dazed and bewildered.
The staff member scratched his head and asked, “Director, does that mean… my job’s considered done?”
Unproductive labor?
The director replied, “…Of course it counts.”
Then he paused and couldn’t help asking, “You saw the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle picking up shells—why didn’t you stop it?”
The staff member: “???”
One swipe and he nearly coughed up bile! What was he supposed to stop it with? What exactly was I supposed to do?!
【Hahahaha, staff: No one said risking your life was part of the job description.】
【“Stop it,” the director says—clearly he’s too stunned to think straight.】
【What’s the big deal? It’s just a case of a wild eagle seeing a wild human dropping wild shells and bringing them to its favorite streamer. Totally normal.】
【Lin Qianyu: Thank you, Mother Nature, for your generous gifts.】
The director cleared his throat. His mind had been a bit foggy just now. Realizing what he had said, he laughed it off. “Well, everyone saw it. The shells were indeed picked up by the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle.”
Picked up from behind the staff member who was dropping them, that is.
All from the sand—none were taken directly from the staff member’s bucket. Completely compliant and legitimate.The director said, “Regarding some unfounded speculations, I hope everyone will respect the facts. I’ll upload this video to the official website. Anyone who still doesn’t believe it can check for themselves whether there are any signs of editing.”
That wrapped up the matter with a full summary.
The director tossed the two shells Lin Qianyu had picked up into the plastic bag as well, lifted it and said, “Lin Qianyu just mentioned that she teamed up with the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle and the black bear, so these shells will count under Lin Qianyu’s name.”
“Right now the shell count is quite high. Once the program team finishes tallying them, we’ll notify everyone. You’re free to move around now.”
Guo Yanpeng was clearly not happy with the result.
He wanted to say something but couldn’t find a valid reason. His eyes reddened with frustration.
As she passed by the furious Guo Yanpeng, Lin Qianyu lightly waved her feather fan. “See? My teammates are way more impressive than some shameless, hot-tempered, loudmouth who can only scream about scripts.”
Guo Yanpeng thought to himself, I wasn’t even picking a fight, yet she’s calling me out? He immediately shouted, “Who are you insulting?!”
“You, obviously,” Lin Qianyu replied bluntly. “Stop being an eyesore in front of me. If you do it again, I’ll use my second penalty strike on you.”
He couldn’t out-argue her, couldn’t outfight her, and beside her were the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle and the black bear eyeing him like predators.
Guo Yanpeng was completely on the losing end.
Usually in this kind of situation, An Lanqing would’ve stepped in to mediate.
But right now, An Lanqing was squatting to the side, seemingly entranced by the little bucket of shells, carefully counting them one by one, oblivious to what was going on nearby.
Guo Yanpeng pressed his lips together, unwilling to swallow his pride, but also too embarrassed to say more.
The director, having watched the video, glanced over. “You better behave. If you keep targeting other innocent guests on the show, you’re out.”
He knew better than anyone how genuine the relationship between Lin Qianyu and the animals was. For the sake of the program, if there was a conflict between Lin Qianyu and Guo Yanpeng, he would definitely side with Lin Qianyu.
Lin Qianyu didn’t bother wondering how Guo Yanpeng was feeling. She took her two fluffballs back to enjoy a good meal.
The fire under the salt-baked coconut crab wasn’t rekindled once it went out—it was just left buried to continue cooking in the residual heat.
Lin Qianyu used a stick to pull the coconut crab out to cool and opened a few razor clams. Cooked razor clam meat had shrunk quite a bit but was still plump. “Here, try this.”
The little eagle popped one clam into its beak at a time, still warm.
By the seaside, the shellfish were thrown straight into the pot—minimal processing, just rinsed in clean water. The freshness was enough to carry the flavor.
The black bear tried a handful of razor clam meat, smacked its lips a bit, didn’t really find it tasty, and went back to drinking sweet water. It took several big sips, its eyes narrowing in delight.
Lin Qianyu greatly enjoyed the process of preparing food, especially when the fluffy ones by her side ate with such satisfaction—it was even better than eating it herself.
After prying open the outer layer of soil, the leaves inside had gone limp. The aroma of coconut crab and the fresh scent of crab meat wafted out as she peeled them back.
The steaming coconut crab was entirely red, looking incredibly appetizing.
Even Lin Qianyu hadn’t expected it to turn out so good. “It smells amazing.”
The steam drifted past the camera lens.
【Looks so delicious!】
【As an inland kid, I’m crying from hunger… sob sob…】
【I’m ordering one right now. Close enough, I’m basically having lunch with Lin Qianyu, the little eagle, and the little bear.】The crab claws were huge, and there was a lot of meat inside.
Lin Qianyu specially ran into the rainforest to pick up a stone, washed it clean, and used it to crack open the crab shell.
If it were a swimming crab or river crab, she could’ve just bitten the shell directly with her teeth while eating, but with coconut crab, forget it—her teeth weren’t that good.
She cracked open the shell, revealing the tender white crab meat inside.
The meat inside the crab claw was thick. Lin Qianyu pulled over a leaf, broke off whole chunks of crab meat, and placed them on the leaf—they were still steaming hot.
The meat from just one claw was substantial. If she were eating alone, this single coconut crab might already be enough to make her full.
After separating the large pieces of meat, Lin Qianyu ladled a bowl of fish soup.
Taking a bite of coconut crab meat and then a sip of fish soup, Lin Qianyu sighed, “No wonder it’s so good—I spent the whole morning making this. The soup is so fresh.”
This was what life should be like.
The little bear had already drunk two bowls of honey water and was working on a third, nodding as it drank. “Mmm!”
Lin Qianyu laughed. “We’re not even drinking the same thing. How could honey water taste fresh?”
The little bear licked its mouth. “Awo!”
She divided the belly meat of the fish into portions. With so many types of food, even sampling a bite of each left her pretty full, so she only grilled a few slices of fish belly.
The Red-tailed Mountain Eagle ate very delicately, taking forever to sip a mouthful of fish soup.
When she saw it eating the fish meat settled at the bottom of the soup, Lin Qianyu scooped out more from the pot and placed it in the little eagle’s bowl.
As the temperature continued to rise,
By noon, it was no longer suitable to stay on that beach.
The other guests had already left when the director gave the go-ahead for free activity.
Lin Qianyu tidied up her things. The fresh water in the plastic bucket had run out, so she stopped by the downstream area on the way back to base.
While she was collecting water nearby, the little bear, with its thick fur, probably feeling hot, went straight into the river.
Lin Qianyu had planned to wash the little bear with freshwater anyway—after all, dried seawater on the skin was uncomfortable, especially with such thick fur.
After filling up with water, she didn’t rush back. Instead, she found an open spot to sit down.
The fan had been drying under the sun at the beach earlier, and the willow strips inside had begun to harden. It now felt more like a real fan in her hand.
The Red-tailed Mountain Eagle was preening its feathers and noticed the fan in Lin Qianyu’s hand. Tilting its head, it chirped, “Chirp!”
“Mm, it’s your feather. Pretty, right?” Lin Qianyu waved the fan at it. “If you take it home to decorate your place, I’m sure it’ll look great.”
“Chirp.”
The Red-tailed Mountain Eagle wasn’t too interested in the feathers themselves but happily nuzzled up against Lin Qianyu.
She leaned back against a tree and took the little eagle off her shoulder, placing it on her lap to stroke its soft downy feathers.
They played by the river for a while.
It wasn’t until the director sent out a message saying the shell count for each team was done that Lin Qianyu stood up and called out, “Little bear, it’s time to go home.”The black bear, which had dived to the bottom of the river, popped its head out and responded.
“Wooh!”
At the base—
A fire pit had already been set up in the center.
It was probably Xie Yifei who did it. The other guests had been busy with tasks all morning, and only Xie Yifei had free time.
Maybe he wanted to build a better relationship with the others; he no longer carried that air of superiority he had when he first arrived, as if his presence was a gift to them.
When Lin Qianyu returned, the director was in the middle of announcing the rankings.
“Third place, Yin Youlin. You can choose one supply item.”
“Second place, An Lanqing. You may choose two.”
“First place… Lin Qianyu. Pick three supplies.”
Everyone had more or less guessed the ranking already.
Even Guo Yanpeng, who had been mentioned before, didn’t act up when he heard An Lanqing took second place. Instead, he quietly stayed by her side and gave her some suggestions while she picked her supplies.
Most of the items Lin Qianyu wanted, she already had. For the moment, she didn’t know what to choose. Big-ticket items like water purifiers had only been available in that initial pile at the beginning of the show. Among the ones in the tent, there wasn’t anything she particularly desired.
She turned and asked, “Little eagle, little bear, is there anything you two like?”
The Red-tailed Mountain Eagle looked down and stared at her without blinking. “Chirp!”
Lin Qianyu couldn’t help but laugh. “I meant the stuff on the table.”
Hearing that, the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle turned to glance but looked disinterested.
The black bear had flopped down at the door of Lin Qianyu’s little hut and didn’t come in at all.
With no better ideas, Lin Qianyu just randomly picked a few items. She’d been wanting to make braised meat for a while, so she grabbed a complete set of braising spices. Since her seasonings were almost used up, she took a set of those too.
Once the items were in her hands, she suddenly realized, “These are all cooking-related.”
So she went back and picked out a thick mat.
It looked like a sponge mat—very thick, about seven or eight centimeters tall.
For wilderness survival, a sponge mat wasn’t all that practical.
It doesn’t provide warmth or wind resistance, and it’s not as useful as a sleeping bag.
But the cave Lin Qianyu had found was nearly cleaned out, and she picked up the bundled mat, saying, “It’ll be perfect for the cave.”
Later, with a sleeping bag added, there’d be no need to build a shelter. The cave itself would serve as the shelter.
Outside the little hut were several beehives. Lin Qianyu picked them up to inspect. They were much better than the random ones Xie Yifei had casually returned to her earlier.
Though still not as good as the little bear’s, the quantity was much higher. If they just counted the weight of the honey alone, it probably balanced out.
The honey was something Xie Yifei owed her anyway. Lin Qianyu directly cut the hive open on the spot and began draining the honey into a pot.
Honey has a long shelf life. The only issue was the lack of suitable containers, so she had no choice but to use one of her cooking pots for now.Lin Qianyu used her chopsticks to pick out the small pieces of honeycomb that had fallen into the honey, resting her chin in one hand and murmuring as she looked up at the sky, “Looks like it’s going to rain again.”
Rainforests are rainy, humid, and hot.
Before a storm, the air feels even more stifling—like being trapped in a steamer basket.
Especially since they’d just returned from the beach—not far away, yet under the same sky, the air felt completely different.
Lin Qianyu thought for a moment. “I’ll put the meat away first. If it starts raining at night, I might not make it in time.”
There wasn’t much meat left anyway. Between trading and eating, the remaining amount would last about two days—assuming no more food gathering.
The real worry was rain soaking the meat. Even if she dried it afterward, it wouldn’t keep well and would likely mold.
“Come on, let’s head up the mountain.” Lin Qianyu waved to the two furry creatures. “Let’s store the stuff up there first.”
“Chirp?” The Red-tailed Mountain Eagle flew onto her shoulder. The black bear had already picked up the sponge mat leaning against the hut.
Just then, they ran into Xie Yifei on his way back. He smiled warmly and said, “Heading out?”
Although he was speaking to Lin Qianyu, his gaze shifted slightly—landing on the eagle perched on her shoulder.
Lin Qianyu didn’t even acknowledge him. She turned sideways and walked off as if she hadn’t heard.
Xie Yifei wasn’t annoyed by her coldness. Instead, he responded good-naturedly, “Where are you going? Let me help you carry something.”
Lin Qianyu replied coldly, “Scram.”
Even after being scolded, he didn’t back off. Instead, he reached out to take the item from her hands, speaking in a low but overly gentle tone, “We’re all friends—no need to be so distant with me.”
Lin Qianyu: “???”
Hearing that disgusting, syrupy tone, she wanted to kick him right then and there.
But before she could lift her foot, Xie Yifei was suddenly knocked aside. His mouth opened in surprise, but he didn’t even manage a yelp. As he turned his head, he saw the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle charging straight at him.
With almost all its strength concentrated, and just before the eagle’s claws could tear into his face, he managed to turn away.
The sharp talons silently sliced through his coat. Xie Yifei felt the sting of an open wound. His face turned pale—he never imagined those two beasts would attack without warning or reason.
Xie Yifei pursed his lips, lowered his eyes to hide the disgust within, then looked up again, face feigning weakness as he said to Lin Qianyu, “Isn’t this a bit much? It’s not like we have some deep grudge. Do you really need to guard against me like this? I even returned your honey. Can’t you be a bit more magnanimous?”
Lin Qianyu slung her backpack behind her and said coldly, “That was something you were supposed to return.”
Xie Yifei looked like he wanted to say more, but just then the director lifted the curtain and cut in, “Stop chatting. Hurry up and come with me to see the doctor.”
Without giving him any choice, the director dragged him off.
So fast that Xie Yifei stumbled from the tug, cursing under his breath.
Viewers in his livestream were furious seeing their idol injured, angrily typing messages—but before the comments could even be sent, the stream was cut, and he was removed from the broadcast.
Over in Lin Qianyu’s stream, the director had already cleaned up the chat. Some accounts were restricted from commenting. As a result, Xie Yifei’s fans started raging in his own livestream chat.
【Lin Qianyu is seriously out of line! How can she let a beast attack someone?!】
【So vicious. How is someone like her still allowed on the show?!】
Many of Lin Qianyu’s fans also flocked to Xie Yifei’s stream to watch the drama unfold.After all, everyone said the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle was a bird of prey, but ever since it started following Lin Qianyu, it had been as docile as a little canary. Truth be told, aside from prey it had eaten, Xie Yifei was the very first person it had actually attacked.
But when some people started blindly pointing fingers at Lin Qianyu, others rolled up their sleeves and jumped in to defend her.
【Hey—hold up, that’s not right. I remember your username. Weren’t you the one who said my baby’s animal-talk persona was fake and scripted? So only you get to run your mouth now?】
【What, gave up stealing and now turned to robbing instead? Who knows what your intentions were—if it were me, I’d have hit you too, okay?】
【Oh my god, help—how is he still using that disgusting bubbly tone even after getting his face clawed?! Xie Yifei, do you want me to die laughing so you can inherit my credit debt or what?】
…
“Little Eagle?” Lin Qianyu opened her arms. “Come here.”
The Red-tailed Mountain Eagle obediently fluttered over, landing right into her embrace. Lin Qianyu used a leaf to wipe the faint traces of blood from its claws.
It moved its talons slightly and gently gripped Lin Qianyu’s finger. “Chirp?”
Lin Qianyu looked at the livestream camera, thought for a moment, then leaned in to whisper something into the eagle’s ear.
The Red-tailed Mountain Eagle blinked, seeming puzzled. Lin Qianyu’s lips moved again, and this time it seemed to understand—nodding in response. “Chirp!”
Then it leaned close to Lin Qianyu’s ear and seemed to chirp twice, but the audience didn’t hear a thing.
【Wait a sec—I was up front roasting Xie Yifei for you, and you’re back there whispering secrets with Little Eagle and leaving me out of it?!】
【Sobs... betrayed! I’m heartbroken. Catch me DMing one of Xie Yifei’s fans to go flame him.】
【Little Eagle, you don’t even need to whisper. We wouldn’t understand even if you spoke normally. Double encryption now? Seriously?】
The black bear hugged the sponge mat, curiously watching Lin Qianyu. It tried to lean in to listen too, but the eagle flapped its wings and smacked it squarely with a feather.
Seeing the confused look in the little bear’s beady eyes, Lin Qianyu quickly reached out to pat its head comfortingly. “Good boy, let’s go.”
The bear looked up and let out a “Rawr!”
Two consecutive days of gloomy rain.
Heavy rain didn’t fall, but the drizzle just wouldn’t stop—constantly misting down at random times.
The clothes they washed couldn’t dry, but thankfully the production team was generous with clothing allotments. Otherwise, these past few days would’ve been unbearable for Lin Qianyu, who liked changing often.
In the rainforest, rain was unpredictable—sometimes even the weather forecast couldn’t get it right.
Luckily, the dark clouds only lasted two days.
At dawn, sunlight finally pierced through the clouds.
A rare sunny day.
The black bear went out to hunt, and the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle hadn’t come looking for her yet either.
Having woken up early, Lin Qianyu didn’t want to waste the morning. She put on her newly woven straw hat, grabbed her feather fan, and headed up the mountain.
【After the rain, even as someone who doesn’t care for wilderness survival, I can’t help loving this scenery.】
【The streamer’s been slacking for days. Is she finally going to get some work done?】
“That’s not quite right.” Lin Qianyu raised her index finger and wagged it in front of the camera. “I’ve simply been recuperating. Today’s rest is to work better tomorrow.”Using her hiking stick, Lin Qianyu carefully avoided the muddy patches, stepping only where the grass was thick.
Before placing her foot down, she used the stick to check the ground—just in case it was a hidden trap.
“Wonder how the cave smells now.” After swapping insect repellent with Jiang Ke, she had come back twice more to spray it.
She’d thought the insecticide smell would linger, but after hiking up in the blazing sun, most of the scent had already dissipated.
Looking at the clean and tidy cave, Lin Qianyu curved her lips slightly. With one finger lifting the brim of her straw hat, she said, “No time like the present. Let’s move in today.”
Though she called it “moving,” most of her things had already been placed here earlier.
“I’ll go back later to grab the pot and sleeping bag.” There wasn’t much—one trip would do.
Lin Qianyu stepped inside the cave and touched the sponge mat. It was still dry.
Usable, but not for long-term use.
Not a big issue—it was only a temporary solution anyway.
“Still need to chop some trees.” She picked up a machete, left the cave, and headed uphill. After picking a suitably sized tree, she started chopping while asking, “No-prize guessing—what am I making this time?”
【No prize? Who’d bother? I’m guessing a bed.】
【By process of elimination—definitely not an airplane.】
Lin Qianyu raised her eyebrows at the barrage of bizarre guesses in the comments. “Planning to make a few drying racks for meat, also need a clothesline. And then… a door.”
The cave entrance was naturally square-shaped—perfect for fitting a wooden door.
That meant she’d need even more wood.
She chopped a few more trees when suddenly—squeak!—a small, brown, patterned creature darted down from a tree and started yelling from a nearby branch.
Thinking it was something venomous, Lin Qianyu even raised her machete, but on closer inspection, it was just a squirrel.
A tiny one—barely larger than a human palm—a long-nosed squirrel.
There are many subspecies of long-nosed squirrels, like red-cheeked or flame-cheeked. Lin Qianyu wasn’t sure which it was.
The little squirrel kept squeaking and scurrying around on the branch like it was having a fit.
【Uhh… I don’t speak squirrel, but that sounded really foul.】
【LOL imagine you're sound asleep at home and someone starts tearing your house down. You’d be swearing worse than it is.】
“Sorry, sorry, didn’t know you were up there.” Lin Qianyu patted her pocket and pulled out a string of berries. “This make it up to you?”
Squirrels typically prefer nuts, but she didn’t have any. Berries were on their diet too.
After getting the gift, the squirrel quieted down and peeked at her from the branch, cautiously squeaking: “Squeak?”
For me?
Lin Qianyu nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
Squirrel: “!!!”
Realizing it could understand Lin Qianyu, the little squirrel panicked and scurried off—still clutching the berries as it darted back up the tree.The squirrel scrambled upward in a panic, diving into the leaves and vanishing from sight.
Lin Qianyu blinked. Seemed like next time she cut down a tree, she should check first if anyone was home.
…
Dragging the chopped trees back home.
Lin Qianyu trimmed off the smaller branches and roots on the spot, keeping only the main trunk. That way, she wouldn’t dirty up the platform back at camp and wouldn’t have to clean it again.
She planned to make a single-layer wooden door, with a waterproof tarp hanging outside as a curtain.
That setup would block wind more easily than just relying on a standalone wooden door.
After all, with limited materials and nothing like nails to secure it, she could only manage a “barely qualifies as a door” type situation—as long as it looked like one.
Once the idea was set, Lin Qianyu acted decisively.
She split the log vertically, using only the center section for the door. The remaining pieces she kept intact for later—she’d use them to make a drying rack.
One tree—efficiently and clearly allocated.
As for how to fasten the planks together, Lin Qianyu looked at her only tool—a machete—and sighed.
She decided to carve out slight insets along the edges to fit them together snugly, then added top and bottom catches to lock them in place.
It turned out to be pretty sturdy.
She shaved the corners down slightly, but not too much—otherwise, the door wouldn’t stay wedged in the cave entrance.
By the time she finished the door, Lin Qianyu was drenched in sweat. “Phew… more or less… this’ll do.” As she spoke, she pushed the door in place. The two corners fit perfectly for sliding open and shut.
Over time, the friction from constant use would wear it down, and then it might fall out.
But for now, at least—she had a door.
The drying rack could wait a little.
Lin Qianyu changed clothes and headed to the river.
The black bear could swim freely in the river, but Lin Qianyu obviously couldn’t go into such places casually.
Last time, Xie Yifei had run into a crocodile in this very river. On land, at least you could try to run. But in water, if a crocodile got ahold of you and performed a death roll, it was hard to say whether you'd die from the bite or from drowning.
After filling a plastic bucket with water, Lin Qianyu spotted something floating in the river—pretending to be driftwood. A crocodile. She even pointed it out to the livestream, “Look, a crocodile.”
Chat comments: 【?】
【Why aren’t you running?! What are you waiting for?!】
The crocodile’s eyes stayed locked on Lin Qianyu, slowly advancing toward her.
“Roar—!” Just then, the black bear returned from hunting and couldn’t find her. It followed her scent all the way to the river. The moment it saw what was happening, it dropped its prey mid-path and charged straight at the crocodile.
Lin Qianyu was startled. “Huh? Little Bear?”
The bear ran right past her. The crocodile, which had just started to pretend-sneak its way closer, had one front leg almost onshore—when the bear slammed a paw down on its head, nearly knocking it back into the water belly-up.
Lin Qianyu quickly hugged the bear, stopping it just by wrapping her arms around its front leg. The bear halted on its own. She gently patted it to soothe it. “Okay, okay, let’s let it go this time. It definitely won’t dare come back.”The director definitely hadn’t released any farm-raised crocodiles, and even if they caught one, they couldn’t eat it—so just let it float in the river and entertain itself.
The little bear shook its wet paw, then turned to nuzzle Lin Qianyu. “Awooo…”
“Let’s head back first. What did you eat today?” As they walked, Lin Qianyu chatted with the bear. Since the bear had a big appetite, the food she made wasn’t enough to fill it—it had to hunt on its own and would return afterward to squeeze into the little shelter and sleep with her.
The black bear trotted a few steps ahead, grabbed a white prey animal nearby, and dragged it over, showing it off like it was seeking praise.
Seeing that it was white, Lin Qianyu was curious what it could be—until she saw the full body. “...A sheep?”
There shouldn’t be any domestic-looking sheep in the rainforest.
A lot of its wool had been stripped.
Its head was deformed, but the rest of the body was still intact.
【Damn, the animals the production team hyped up as hard to catch in the trailer have become Lin Qianyu’s everyday meals, LOL】
【Director: I designed these to be hard for the cast to catch. But for a predator? It’s a total pushover!】
【Even the black bear looks confused—why is hunting so easy now?】
…
Watching the livestream too, the director sighed. “Move the animals we placed further off. If they bump into the bear, it’s like delivering food straight to its mouth. The point of wilderness survival is wilderness and hunger, got it?”
Those animals were originally there in case contestants didn’t have enough experience and couldn’t catch anything—so they wouldn’t starve. But for a rainforest hunting veteran, that sheep might as well have walked into her arms. Same with the pig last time—the guests didn’t know how to handle it, but the bear had no problem at all.
A crew member thought for a bit and said quietly, “Lin Qianyu probably won’t be short on food. And if she ever is, the crested serpent eagle could come… forage from us.” Pausing, they added, “Might even bring the black bear along.”
Director: “……”
What the heck! What kind of comment is that?!
Do they think this place is some kind of free-for-all pantry? That the animals can just come and go, take whatever they want?!
The director slammed the table in anger—then after thinking about it, teared up. Actually… yeah, that’s exactly what’s been happening.
The sheep was smaller than the last pig—looked about a size down.
The black bear dragged it all the way back and dropped it at the platform in front of the cave.
Lin Qianyu didn’t rush to deal with the meat. She’d eaten berries that morning and wasn’t too hungry. She pressed on the sheep’s belly and found it puffed up. “You already ate?”
“Mmrr!” The black bear flopped over on the ground.
Lin Qianyu waved her hands around, burying them in the bear’s thick soft belly fur, messing it up. Then she curled her fingers into a comb shape and slowly smoothed it back down.
The bear shifted its paw and rolled over, pressing on her hand like it was hugging her arm.
Lin Qianyu used her other hand to rub its ear. “If you’re already full, I won’t butcher the sheep yet. I’ll wait until I finish building the drying rack.”
“Mrr.”
The wood was still piled nearby.
There was also unused waterproof tarp left.
Aside from the piece she’d set aside for the door curtain, there was still plenty left.Lin Qianyu slowly smoothed the black bear’s fur. Looking at the waterproof tarp not far away, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration. “Right, I can make that.”
Once she had the idea, she immediately got up and unfolded the tarp.
【Huh? Make what?】
【Don’t be a cryptic teaser!! Tell us!!】
After measuring and confirming the tarp was big enough, Lin Qianyu went to the back of the cave and picked three trees that were spaced just right, roughly forming an equilateral triangle. She wrapped the tarp around two of the trees, from top to bottom—first one side, then the other—and finally draped a piece over the top, leaving one side open as an entrance.
She wrapped the tarp high up—the interior was tall enough that when someone stood inside and raised their arms, there was still half an arm’s length to the ceiling.
Plastic bottles were quite useful, and Lin Qianyu had traded for several from the director.
She heated wooden sticks in the fire, blew out the flames, and used them to melt holes into the bottom of a plastic bottle—turning it into something like a showerhead.
【!! I think I know what she’s building now.】
【A shower?! Damn, I don’t even have a private bathroom at home. Who’s surviving in the wild here—her or me?】
【She’s too good at living. Take a shower, eat roasted lamb, and enjoy a view of the rainforest night from the platform—perfection.】
As Lin Qianyu continued melting holes into the plastic bucket, she saw the chat scrolling nonstop and curled her lips slightly. “Not bad, right? If I prepare a few extra buckets of water ahead of time, I won’t have to take risks going down to the river for a bath.”
She was quite satisfied with this bucket.
Once the holes were ready, she flipped the bucket over and set it aside. She stood up, planning to go fetch water and test whether this private shower room worked well.
“Ah…”
The cry of a small animal made Lin Qianyu pause mid-step.
“Did I hear wrong?” she muttered suspiciously. “I think I heard a koala’s voice.”
The livestream comments all agreed.
At the edge of the platform, a koala raised one paw and called out again, “Ah!”
Then it slowly climbed up from below.
“Are you here to see me?” Lin Qianyu glanced at the mother koala’s hind leg. The bandage there looked clean, probably recently changed.
Most likely by a forest ranger or vet responsible for this area.
The baby koala clinging to the mother’s back also reached its paw toward Lin Qianyu, calling out, “Ah ah!”
That’s when Lin Qianyu noticed something under the baby koala.
A bit of green was sticking out.
She crouched down. “What’s this?”
“Ah!” The baby koala gripped a leaf and handed it to her.
It was a eucalyptus leaf.
Lin Qianyu’s eyes curved in a smile without realizing it. “Did you two come all the way here just to bring me this?”
The baby koala nodded as it pulled out all the eucalyptus leaves it had brought, handing them over in one go. “Ah!”"Thank you." Lin Qianyu smiled as she accepted it, patting the little fuzzy head. "What a coincidence, I’m moving today. Since I’m receiving a gift now, let’s take it as your housewarming present to me."
Author’s note: Good night, sleep early, love every one of you~