Chapter 24

Chapter 24

“Look! Pretty little bear.”

Lin Qianyu was a little surprised. She picked it up—its edges were already completely dried.

Flowers can’t be preserved for long; after so much time, it should have already wilted.

After she gave it to the little eagle, she hadn’t seen it wear the flower crown again. She assumed it had fallen off during flight—who knows when. In such a vast rainforest, the chances of retrieving a lost item were nearly zero.

But unexpectedly, the little eagle had left the flower crown in its nest.

And it was already quite withered and unattractive.

“Let’s wait here a bit,” Lin Qianyu placed the flower crown without flowers back in the bird’s nest. She had come to take the little eagle back for care, but since it wasn’t home, she couldn’t just move the nest directly.

If the little eagle came back and didn’t see it, it would surely be anxious.

She left the fledgling in the nest.

Lin Qianyu jumped down from the tree and began picking flowers nearby.

The little bear, still wrestling with the livestream equipment, noticed and came over curiously to look at the flowers.

Lin Qianyu sniffed one and then held it to the little bear’s nose. “Smell it—does it smell nice?”

The black bear’s nose twitched, then it let out a soft “rawr” and chomped down in one bite.

“?”

Lin Qianyu’s wrist froze. She tried to retrieve the flower, but all that remained in her hand was a short flower stem.

The little bear smacked its lips—it wasn’t clear if it had tasted anything.

But since it didn’t go looking for more after eating, it was probably not tasty.

At the very least, not the little bear’s favorite flavor.

Lin Qianyu laughed. “I told you to smell it. Hungry? I’ve got some jerky.”

“Rawr!” The black bear gave a muffled sound. It wasn’t hungry. It lowered its head, licked Lin Qianyu’s hand, and ate the leftover bit of flower stem from her palm.

【A fierce tiger at heart, savoring the rose. Tastes average, will still eat it next time.】

【Little Bear: Not tasty, but if a human gives it, must finish it.】

After eating the flower, the black bear turned back to wrestling with the livestream gear.

The new device was larger than before, and most of its innovations were in defense, so its outer layer was naturally thicker.

But in the bear’s paw, it spun around like a toy ball.

The little bear was just playing, not trying to destroy it—otherwise, one heavy slap from its paw would be enough to flatten even the thickest steel plate.

It was boring to just sit around, so Lin Qianyu let it play.

She continued picking flowers nearby.

Avoiding any protected species that could land her in jail, she picked plenty of plain yet pretty wildflowers.

“Next is a flower crown tutorial,” Lin Qianyu sat down on the patch of flattened grass beside the black bear. “If you ever find yourself lost in the wild and feeling down, you can try this—make a flower crown to lift your spirits.”【You even thought of that… you’re actually really kind.】

【Lin Qianyu: Why would I go to hell after death? King of Hell: Please watch the VCR.】

【Not bad at all. I’ve watched a lot of wilderness survival streamers, probably over a hundred beginner tutorials, but only this streamer considered how we’d feel in that situation—teaching flower crowns so we can pass away beautifully.】

“Just kidding,” Lin Qianyu chuckled, joking with the livestream, “I made these for the animals, but you can try making one for your furry ones at home too.”

Scrolling through the comments, Lin Qianyu's fingers slid past the VIP section beside the bullet chats.

The stream was popular; sometimes it got so busy she didn’t have time to read the chat, and she hadn’t paid much attention to how many gifts she received either.

There were a lot of SVIP accounts in the VIP section. Lin Qianyu even spotted Hang Sisi’s streamer account.

And… a private account that often lurked in her stream.

Still watching, huh.

Lin Qianyu curled her lips meaningfully. She glanced only once before closing the VIP panel and continued casually, “Alright then, let’s begin the tutorial.”

Making a flower crown, this kind of craft looks complicated, but once the base is properly set, all it takes is winding around bit by bit and tucking in the flowers along the way.

Her long, fair fingers wound the green flower stems with ease.

She was now very skilled at making flower crowns.

In no time, she finished one.

She made three in a row. Thinking for a moment, Lin Qianyu adjusted the crown on her head and started making a fourth one.

“Chirp——!”

“The little eagle is back.”

Just as Lin Qianyu finished speaking, the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle landed on her shoulder.

In the treetop nest, the fledgling sensed the adult bird’s return and began chirping noisily.

But it didn’t get the adult back in the nest right away. It leaned out from the edge, flapping and calling nonstop, “Chirp chirp!”

The Red-tailed Mountain Eagle affectionately nuzzled Lin Qianyu, the feathers on its head brushing her cheek—it tickled a bit.

Lin Qianyu smiled and placed the flower crown on its head. “Are those for nest-building?”

She was referring to the branches the eagle had just dropped to the ground. Some were quite thick—during a violent storm, a fragile nest might get blown away.

The Red-tailed Mountain Eagle, adapted to the wild year-round, had a natural instinct for the weather. Without needing a forecast, it would preemptively reinforce the nest before extreme weather hit.

When storms came, it would also lie across the chicks and eggs to shield them from wind and rain.

The eagle looked up at the nest. “Chirp!”

“How about staying at my place for a few days?” Lin Qianyu gently lifted the little eagle off her shoulder. “It’s too dangerous in the rain. There’s a cave you can shelter in—come with me.”

Lin Qianyu softly stroked its feathers, negotiating, “If you come with me, I can even help you take care of the fledgling. Then you won’t have to keep flying back and forth.”

“Chirp…”

“We’ll take the nest with us too.”“Chirp!”

The Red-tailed Mountain Eagle gave a shake of its feathers, flew up, and gently placed the fledgling into Lin Qianyu’s arms.

The little bird, still unable to fly and freshly plucked from the nest, squinted in confusion, its neck shrinking back timidly upon landing.

Lin Qianyu had emptied her backpack before coming, so she placed the fledgling inside first. When the eagle handed her the remaining two eggs with its talons, she tucked them in as well.

Finally, she climbed the tree to retrieve the nest. To avoid damaging it, she simply broke off the entire branch it was attached to.

With the nest in her arms and the fledgling chirping noisily in her backpack,

Lin Qianyu called out with a bright smile, “Let’s go home!”

Hearing her voice, the fledgling chirped even more energetically.

The little eagle ducked into the zipper opening of the backpack, and the chick instantly fell silent, as if someone had squeezed its neck.

Lin Qianyu adjusted the flower crown on the little eagle’s head, then turned to the black bear. “Little Bear, come.”

The livestream equipment, having just escaped the bear’s clutches, hovered unsteadily in the air.

The black bear sniffed at the flower crown and opened its mouth to eat it again, but Lin Qianyu pulled her hand back just as it lunged.

Chasing after the flower crown, the little bear lifted its head so high it nearly toppled over backward.

Lin Qianyu quickly caught its big, dumb head to save it, and the crown happened to slide over its ears. The small, delicate flowers actually matched its completely black, furry body pretty well.

Lin Qianyu tapped its nose and warned, “This one’s not for eating.”

She’d spent all that time making it—wouldn’t even last two bites for the bear.

The bear could smell the flowers, but couldn’t see anything above its head. Noticing the flower crown on the eagle’s head, it blinked as if it had just realized something.

Just when Lin Qianyu thought it understood the crown was a decoration, the black bear leaned in and tried to bite the flower crown off the eagle.

“Chirp——!”

“Rawr rawr rawr rawr… whimper, rawr!”

“Eh?” Before Lin Qianyu could react, the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle flapped its wings and gave the bear a solid beating.

She quickly stepped back, trying to use distance to separate the battlefield.

The black bear, stunned, pawed at its own nose. The flower crown on its head had been knocked askew, one ear sticking out with the rest barely hanging on.

【Hahaha, it looks so pitiful getting beaten up.】

【Chubby baby even looks cute when it’s getting smacked.】

【No animal gets beaten up by the little eagle this often—unless it’s the bear.】

【Actually, I’ve never seen a black bear cry. Do black bears cry? Little eagle, maybe you could… ahem.】

“Whimper!” The black bear, aggrieved, slumped onto Lin Qianyu’s other shoulder.

Just when Lin Qianyu thought it was heartbroken from being scolded, she noticed it sneakily open its mouth to nip at the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle’s tail feathers.

Lin Qianyu: “……”You’re going to get beaten up again later.

---Back home.

Lin Qianyu placed the bird’s nest on the stone platform she had built in advance.

She wedged a few smooth stones in the uneven spots around the edges, so the nest remained completely stable no matter how much it was jostled inside.

A few small flowers were also tucked around the edge of the nest as decoration.

“All right, this is your new home from now on.” Lin Qianyu opened the backpack. The fledgling was familiar with the nest—though it still couldn’t fly, it flapped its wings hard and scrambled into the nest, half rolling and half crawling.

To the fledgling, the cave was a completely unfamiliar environment.

Even though Lin Qianyu had built the stone platform quite high, it couldn’t replicate the feeling of being up in a tree.

Red-tailed Mountain Eagle chicks don’t leave the nest until they learn to fly, and the species itself doesn’t have a habit of relocating. Under normal circumstances, they don’t change homes frequently, so the fledgling was used to seeing dense leaves overhead all year round.

Now, in the cave, everything looked new and strange to the fledgling.

The adult Red-tailed Mountain Eagle had been to the cave a few times before, and now perched disinterestedly on Lin Qianyu’s shoulder.

“If it rains, we won’t be able to go out.” Lin Qianyu rifled through her food supplies. “It should be enough. I’ll gather more nuts and mushrooms.”

When there wasn’t anything to do, she could sit in the cave cracking nuts to pass the time.

As Lin Qianyu mumbled about what preparations she needed to make before the storm hit, the little black snake quietly slithered in through the not-fully-closed door.

Hiding itself in a corner, it thought it was being very stealthy.

The Red-tailed Mountain Eagle, midway through nuzzling Lin Qianyu, casually glanced over and then ignored it completely, going right back to nudging her affectionately.

To snakes, the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle was a natural predator.

With its tiny size, the black snake wasn’t a match even for a newly-hatched Red-tailed Mountain Eagle chick, let alone a fully grown one.

【Wait a sec… what about the koala if there’s going to be a storm?】

【Right! And it has a baby too—will it have shelter from the rain?】

Lin Qianyu said, “The koala was taken back by the forest rangers to check on its recovery. According to the timeline, it shouldn’t run into this storm.”

Maybe because she was involved throughout the rescue of the koala, the rangers shared every update about the koala’s condition in their group chat, without her even needing to ask.

Even though it was already fully recovered, it still needed to be brought back for examination and to have a record filed. She had gotten the message yesterday that it had been taken away.

Only after hearing Lin Qianyu’s explanation did the viewers relax.

The black bear had gone out hunting.

After tidying up the bird’s nest, Lin Qianyu also prepared to head out in search of food.

The livestream drone took off from the cave ahead of her to find a good angle. Lin Qianyu had just stepped outside when she suddenly seemed to remember something. She turned back, dawdled for a moment, then came out again with her hiking backpack on.

Seeing this, the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle, waiting outside, released the drone it had been carrying in its talons and spread its wings to fly over to Lin Qianyu.

“Let’s go up the mountain.” Lin Qianyu scanned the area but didn’t see any suitable spots nearby, so she simply headed farther uphill. “There are still lots of hazelnuts up that way.”

“Chirp!”Lin Qianyu walked away without a worry, but the viewers in the livestream couldn’t help feeling anxious for her.

【Is it really okay for her to just leave like that? The Red-tailed Mountain Eagle chick and the eggs are still in the cave—what if a predator shows up…】

【Never mind predators, with this many people in the livestream, what if someone with bad intentions sees this? I don’t even dare imagine the consequences.】

【I mean… it’s not like the streamer is leaving for ten days or anything. If someone wanted to steal the eggs now, they wouldn’t even have time to get to the island, right?】

【Lin Qianyu, are you too relaxed? That’s a Red-tailed Mountain Eagle. Even laws can’t suppress human greed when it comes to something like that, and you just walk away like this? Can you even take responsibility if something happens?!】

...

The barrage of comments all revolved around the same concern.

Even some professionals in the audience chimed in, advising that Lin Qianyu should either go back now or have a grown predator stay behind to guard the cave. In any case, leaving the chick and the eggs there alone was very risky.

It was obvious that everyone was deeply worried about the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle’s safety.

Lin Qianyu, however, didn’t look at the comments. As she walked, she chatted with the eagle, “Little Eagle, help me see if there are any wild fruits nearby.”

“Chirp!”

Seeing Lin Qianyu strolling so casually like she was just going about her day, many viewers were already beside themselves with anxiety. They wished they could jump into the stream and explain to her just how dangerous the situation was.

But there was nothing they could do—this was a private island, and you couldn’t just go ashore without permission.

After walking a bit farther, Lin Qianyu waved her hand and said, “Oh come on, don’t overreact. Aside from the staff, the only people on the island are the other guests. We’re all on the same team. And the rangers are here too—they’d never hurt a Red-tailed Mountain Eagle.”

To reassure them further, she added, “There’s also the little bear’s scent in the cave—other animals wouldn’t dare approach.”

She picked another handful of hazelnuts and idly twirled some leaves in her hand as she circled the area. “I told you it’s fine. I’m staying nearby and won’t go far. If anything happens at home, I’ll know immediately.”

In short—her cave was very safe.

After that, Lin Qianyu ignored the comments and focused on what she was doing.

She didn’t look up at the barrage again.

Of all the guests on the variety show “Wilderness”, only Lin Qianyu was acting alone now. The rest were moving as a group.

The most common and easiest vegetarian food to gather was mushrooms, and they were all up in the mountains picking them.

While collecting mushrooms, Hang Sisi said, “Qianyu-jie said there’s going to be a big storm in the next few days, so we should try to stockpile as much as we can now.”

Guo Yanpeng replied coolly, “The director said it’ll be sunny the next few days. You’re always ‘Qianyu-jie this’ and ‘Qianyu-jie that’—trying to ride her popularity or what? Can’t talk without mentioning her?”

Hang Sisi, who had been casually chatting with her own viewers, was caught off guard. There was already tension between her and Guo Yanpeng, and she had been ignoring him lately. But now that he was deliberately picking a fight again, she didn’t hold back. “Then go ride it yourself. Who’s stopping you?”

“And anyway, if you trust the director so much, why are you still picking mushrooms like crazy?” She glanced at his nearly full backpack and scoffed. “You can’t even finish all that in a day or two.”

Because Lin Qianyu’s stream had the highest viewership, many viewers were hopping between different streams, so the news about the storm had already spread.

Even though the director’s forecast still said sunny weather, after hearing Lin Qianyu mention a storm, he became less certain.

In the end, he told the guests to use their own judgment. After some discussion, they decided to go out anyway.

Guo Yanpeng grumbled the whole way about how Lin Qianyu was being superstitious and dragging them into unnecessary trouble—but his hands didn’t stop picking mushrooms.

Hang Sisi noticed that clearly.An Lanqing stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder, speaking with heartfelt sincerity, “Sisi, Yanpeng picked so many for everyone's sake. The director also said the weather forecast might not be accurate. Everyone has to judge for themselves whether to stock up on supplies.”

She had just doubled back from ahead and considerately helped Guo Yanpeng zip up his backpack. “If there really is a heavy storm, having supplies will help everyone get through it safely. And if it doesn’t rain, well, with this many people, we can still finish all these mushrooms if we share them.”

Hang Sisi opened her mouth slightly but, knowing that if they kept arguing, their fans would clash again in the livestream chat, she just responded with an “oh” and lowered her head to continue picking mushrooms.

Spotting a mushroom she didn’t recognize, she looked up and said, “Teacher Xie, is this mushroom…”

She had wanted to ask whether it was edible, but after glancing around, she couldn’t find Xie Yifei anywhere.

Hang Sisi scratched her head. If she hadn’t just asked him a question a moment ago, she might have thought she was seeing things. “Huh? That’s weird. Where’s Teacher Xie? He was just here.”

Probably off picking mushrooms somewhere else, she thought, and didn’t dwell on it.

…

Xie Yifei’s livestream had already been shut off.

His fans were used to him abruptly ending streams all the time. Curious newcomers who clicked in from the platform’s recommendation list only to find a black screen would politely ask why the streamer wasn’t live—only to get flamed by Xie Yifei’s fans.

They all insisted Xie Yifei preferred filming and editing videos, and didn’t like to expose too much in livestreams.

Excuses all neatly prepared.

So with the stream off, Xie Yifei acted even more brazenly.

Crack. His wooden trekking pole snapped in the dirt from pressure. Without even looking at it, Xie Yifei tossed it aside, not caring about danger, and rushed toward the mountainside.

Lin Qianyu had actually brought the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle’s chick and eggs back to the cave!

This thrilled Xie Yifei.

At this moment, the black bear was out hunting.

The adult Red-tailed Mountain Eagle was flying in the opposite direction of the cave, searching for wild berries.

And Lin Qianyu, arrogant and overconfident, had clearly lost the ability to assess danger while surrounded by animals.

Or maybe she was indulging in some naive dream of peaceful coexistence between humans and nature.

She had simply closed the door and left the cave without a single protective measure.

Xie Yifei ran quickly, his breath growing heavier with rising excitement.

He had searched for so long, always just a step too late.

Every time he finally found a lead on the nest, the chick and eggs were already gone.

Red-tailed Mountain Eagles weren’t even a species that moved nests frequently, yet somehow, he always missed them. Who knew what was wrong with this particular bird?

Now, opportunity had finally arrived—and it wouldn’t come again. After missing so many chances, maybe even fate was tired of denying him and had handed him this one.

Perfect timing, perfect setting—how could Xie Yifei possibly not seize it?

The more he thought about it, the more exhilarated he became. Holding his breath and not daring to relax for a second, Xie Yifei raced toward Lin Qianyu’s cave.

Just to be safe, he kept Lin Qianyu’s livestream open on his smartwatch, monitoring constantly in case she suddenly decided to return.Until he rushed onto the platform, Lin Qianyu was still on the mountain, continuing to pick those damn nuts.

Xie Yifei curled the corners of his mouth, mentally bracing himself for a moment outside before yanking open the cave’s wooden door.

The bird’s nest placed on the stone pedestal in the corner was the one he had watched repeatedly in the livestream.

His heart was pounding. The exhaustion and hardship of running all this way were completely overwhelmed by the immense joy of finally getting the Red-tailed Mountain Eagle.

Even if... this was a trap, he would accept it.

As long as he could take the bird, no matter the cost, he would gladly pay it!

Crack—a sound came from the bird’s nest, as if something inside was pressing against and shifting through the layered twigs.

Xie Yifei took a deep breath, his hands trembling from excitement, determined to end it quickly. He directly picked up the nest.

But only after lifting it down from the pedestal did he realize—it was light.

Empty?!

Just as this thought surfaced, a sharp pain shot through his hand.

A black shadow crawled out from the nest and darted off across the rocks.

“Ah!” Xie Yifei cried out belatedly. Two puncture wounds on his hand were already beginning to discolor, and intense pain spread through his whole body.

The wooden door couldn’t muffle that heart-wrenching scream.

Up the mountain, a leopard with prey in its mouth twitched its ears. It immediately dropped the prey and turned, leaping away.

In one bound, it landed on the platform. Seeing someone stumbling out of the cave, the leopard's ears flattened, its body crouched low as it let out a warning growl: “Grrr—”

Xie Yifei froze.

Compared to the black bear with its seemingly dopey appearance, the leopard—known for its short temper—posing aggressively in front of you was extremely dangerous.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. In panic earlier, he had tried to suck the poison from the wound, but it seemed useless. Half his body was now numb.

Barely holding on, he managed to light the emergency flare from the show.

Whoosh—Boom! The flare exploded into brightly colored smoke.

From the start of the broadcast till now, this was the first time a contestant had actually used the emergency flare.

Usually, the production crew would spot potential danger from the livestream feed and rush in before anything happened.

But Xie Yifei's stream was off. At first, when he kept shutting it off, the staff were worried something might be wrong.

Later, as he did it more frequently—and even lashed out when questioned—they asked the director, then just let him do as he pleased.

Now, with the leopard eyeing him coldly, Xie Yifei didn’t even have the strength to stand. He collapsed to the ground.

Seeing his condition, the leopard narrowed its eyes. It didn’t attack, but neither did it leave. It simply stared at him.

Almost like... a prison guard watching over a criminal.

When Lin Qianyu returned, the crew and director had already arrived.

Seeing the leopard, Lin Qianyu paused, clearly not expecting it to be here.

The leopard, lying on the platform, also noticed Lin Qianyu’s return. It immediately turned its face away, leaving her with only a view of its fluffy back of the head.

Round and furry—it looked like it would feel great to touch.

Thinking this, as Lin Qianyu walked over, she crouched slightly and, in a lightning-fast motion, sneakily patted the fluffy back of the leopard’s head.“!!!”

The leopard immediately raised its head, and Lin Qianyu ran off right after patting it.

The leopard that had been lying down stood up to leave. Seeing Lin Qianyu’s now-empty side and then glancing at the nearby humans holding strange equipment, it seemed to understand something. Its beautiful, gilded eyes blinked once before it lay back down again.

“Director.” Lin Qianyu walked over, glanced at the person lying motionless on the stretcher with an indifferent expression, and asked, “Did something happen?”

“It’s good you’re back,” the director said while typing. “Xie Yifei seems to have been bitten by a snake. Do you know what kinds of snakes are around here?”

It looked like he was explaining the situation to a doctor.

“It was probably a small black snake. It showed up in my livestream a few times before, but I don’t know what species it is.” Lin Qianyu’s voice reached Xie Yifei’s ears.

His face darkened, and Xie Yifei forced his eyes open with great difficulty. His gaze toward Lin Qianyu was filled with resentment. He trembled and clenched his teeth tightly. His jaw twitched, unable to align, his body convulsing unconsciously. The lower half of his body had already soaked through the stretcher.

Lin Qianyu frowned. Fortunately, the stretcher was waterproof, or else she would’ve had to clean the platform.

The director wiped away sweat. When he arrived, he had asked Xie Yifei what kind of snake bit him. Xie Yifei couldn’t speak and could only point at the cave, which seemed to mean the snake was inside.

The director had wanted to go in and retrieve the snake to show it to the doctors so they could determine the right antivenom.

But the leopard was guarding the entrance and refused to let him in no matter what.

Luckily Lin Qianyu came back early, or something serious might’ve happened.

Now that they knew where to look, the director had the doctor take people down the mountain right away.

At the same time, they searched the livestream recordings, found the footage of the small black snake, took a screenshot, and sent it to the forest rangers.

They would prepare the antivenom on their end. Once injected and stabilized, they’d arrange to transfer him to a hospital.

There was no time to say more to Lin Qianyu. The director hurried off with the others.

“You’re leaving too?”

The leopard stood up when the others left, but before it could turn around, it heard Lin Qianyu ask this.

Hugging her backpack, Lin Qianyu smiled and asked, “Not staying for a meal before you go?”

The leopard ran straight out.

“Mm... alright then.” Lin Qianyu thought, that probably meant no.

The leopard liked eating in trees—maybe it wasn’t used to eating here. No big deal, she could just bring it some food later.

The livestream equipment floated behind her. When Lin Qianyu entered the cave, she casually shut the door behind her.

Inside the backpack, the little bird flapped its wings.

Lin Qianyu opened the bag, raised a finger to her lips, and said to the bird, “Shh…”

The young bird’s tender beak opened slightly, but it made no sound.

Lin Qianyu felt like it was trying to mimic her speaking—but didn’t know how to make a “shh” sound.

Absolutely adorable.

She picked up the fallen nest, carefully rearranged the disturbed flowers, and took out the bird eggs from her backpack. The fledgling jumped out on its own and laid on top of them.Lin Qianyu curled her finger and gently rubbed its cheek. “Go play.”

Someone had been inside the cave. She didn’t think much of it, but for small animals with sensitive senses of smell, the place was now filled with the scent of strangers.

Before they came back, Lin Qianyu fetched a bucket of water and carefully rinsed the entire floor.

At that moment, the livestream chat had already exploded.

【What the heck, why can’t I figure out what happened? Why did Xie Yifei get bitten by a snake?】

【The real question is why was Xie Yifei in Lin Qianyu’s cave?! Everyone was clearly still out digging mushrooms!】

【Do you even need to ask? He was obviously trying to steal bird eggs.】

【Don’t go too far! Ah Fei is injured and you’re still making malicious accusations without proof. Can’t you be a little kinder?】

【Do I need to remind everyone how Xie Yifei stole honey the moment he arrived? He’s an old thief.】

...

Xie Yifei’s fans couldn’t accept what happened. Their idol had only briefly disappeared from camera view, and now he was half-dead? So they rushed into Lin Qianyu’s livestream demanding an explanation.

But Lin Qianyu’s fans weren’t the type to back down—they cursed them out immediately.

Xie Yifei had disappeared from other streamers’ feeds only for a short while, and then suddenly reappeared halfway up the mountain? It was hard not to suspect he had been watching Lin Qianyu’s livestream and seized the moment, when no one was guarding the cave, to sneak in and steal bird eggs.

He just had bad luck—bitten by a snake as soon as he entered, then caught by the leopard.

And now his fans had the nerve to cause trouble?

In the end, the whole dispute concluded with a mass banning of Xie Yifei’s fans.

Lin Qianyu poured another bucket of water, and watching the spreading trail across the ground, she finally felt at ease.

She’d had a vague suspicion earlier about what Xie Yifei was trying to do.

There were a lot of anonymous accounts in the livestream, but none that stayed active 24/7.

Especially that one account—it showed up not long after Xie Yifei joined the show, too much of a coincidence. Lin Qianyu reported it to the director, and after some digging, they found the account was registered under the ID of Xie Yifei’s agent’s cousin.

The livestream of picking up the Red-Tailed Mountain Eagle—partly because of the rain making it unsafe outside, and partly... to show it to Xie Yifei.

At one point, Lin Qianyu had thought about dragging him into a camera blind spot and giving him a beating—just to warn him to stay away from the Red-Tailed Mountain Eagle.

Or maybe she should contact the director and have Xie Yifei kicked off the show.

But in the end, she vetoed all of it herself.

After all, Xie Yifei hadn’t actually done anything. Even now, it was all just thoughts—he hadn’t taken action.

He even acted like he was getting along well with everyone. And with just a gut feeling, she didn’t have solid enough grounds.

But if she waited until he did act, wouldn’t it be too late?

There’s an old saying: you can be a thief every day, but who has the time to guard against one every day?

But now...

Lin Qianyu curled her lips into a smile. For the foreseeable future, Xie Yifei… no, he definitely wouldn’t be bothering her again.Cleaned up the water in the cave.

Lin Qianyu went out to get the sun-dried sheepskin—just right to lay it out today.

The moment she stepped outside, the first thing she saw was the leopard lying on a tree diagonally opposite the main door, tearing at its prey.

Backlit by the sunlight, the leopard looked like it was coated in a warm golden glow, the whole furry body giving off a cozy feeling.

It ate very gracefully, not devouring the meat in haste—just occasionally lowered its head to bite and tear off a piece, holding the prey down with its paws. Not a drop of blood splashed onto its face.

So it wasn’t that it didn’t stay to eat—just that it brought its own food.

“So polite.” Lin Qianyu walked over and gave its tail a little shake. “Wait a moment, I’ll finish laying down the carpet. I’ll hunt today.”

The leopard flicked the tip of its tail and ignored her.

Its mouth still held the prey, but its gaze followed Lin Qianyu the whole time.

On the drying rack, a little black snake was hiding inside the sheepskin blanket for shade.

The moment Lin Qianyu took the sheepskin down, the little snake woke up. Its pale golden eyes glared at her in anger. “Hiss!”

“Ahem.” Lin Qianyu paused. “Didn’t expect you to be inside. Go nap in the house instead—the cave’s cooler.”

The little black snake refused to listen to such snake-tricking words and flipped over proudly—then promptly fell straight off the drying rack.

In a critical moment, it managed to coil its tail around the rack, barely avoiding a full-on crash to the ground. The weak but beautiful little black snake dangled in the air.

—It didn’t have the strength to climb back up.

But the little snake said nothing and just hung there swinging.

Lin Qianyu raised a brow and poked its scales. “Doesn’t that tire you out?”

The little black snake tried to do something like a sit-up, lifting its head up—up... after a long struggle, it still couldn’t rise.

It got mad at itself. Furious, it hissed: “Hiss hiss!”

Li-ke!

“All right, next time.” Lin Qianyu chuckled gently and took the little black snake down, slipping it into her pocket.

So tiny—portable and convenient.

From the outer layer of the pocket, the cloth moved slightly as the little black snake adjusted its posture. It poked its head out to look around, then slipped right back in.

【Aaaaah! What an adorable little thing!】

【This little black guy is weirdly cute. I’m terrified of snakes, but if it’s like this one, I think I could raise one.】

【Calm down. Think about a certain someone currently hanging between life and death—how dare you!】

【Wait a sec… why does Lin Qianyu seem so familiar with that snake? Don’t tell me she deliberately released the snake to bite someone!】

The few remaining Xie Yifei fans who hadn’t been banned yet seized the moment, making wild accusations and attacking everyone.

Conspiracy theories started flying.

The barrage of messages, which had just finally quieted down, once again erupted in chaos.【Ah yes yes yes, Lin Qianyu did it on purpose—so Xie Yifei can’t control himself and stay out of someone else’s home?】

【Xie Yifei totally deserved it! The little black snake had already shown up before—if you're going to steal, at least do your homework, huh? Too bad it didn’t bite you to death.】

【How is this any different from poaching? I suggest reporting this to the rangers. Someone like him should be thrown into the sea and left to swim home.】

【(Sends a red envelope) Come one, come all! A national celebration—everyone who hasn’t insulted the streamer yet, this one’s for you.】

If the livestream room allowed song requests, someone would’ve already queued up “Good Luck Comes.”

Xie Yifei’s fans were absolutely fuming.

Lin Qianyu also noticed the revelry in the chat. After thinking for a bit, she sent a big red envelope too.

Evening.

The black bear and the red-tailed crested eagle returned from hunting.

The broad-backed, muscular yellow ox had its spine pierced through by the eagle’s talons.

The black bear bit its neck and dragged it all the way to the cave entrance.

Hearing the commotion outside, Lin Qianyu blinked and rolled over on the mat. When she hugged her sleeping bag, she froze in confusion, opening her eyes in a daze, still half-asleep.

That afternoon she had come back, laid out the mat, and after working hard, just wanted to rest a bit.

Ended up falling asleep without realizing it—and had slept all the way until now.

Lin Qianyu yawned and opened the door. “Welcome home.”

“Chirp!”

“Roar!”

The red-tailed crested eagle dove straight at her. Lin Qianyu reached out and caught it in a hug.

Catching a whiff of blood, Lin Qianyu looked down. On the empty, clean platform—left and right—were a goat and a cow.

Lin Qianyu: “???”

Usually when they hunted large prey, they only brought back one—it was always enough for them to eat.

Only when catching things like native chickens or ducks would they grab a bunch at once, since there wasn’t much meat and even less once the bones were removed.

But why were there two large animals today?

Lin Qianyu asked suspiciously, “You guys… why did you catch so much?”

The black bear licked its paw and turned to glance up at a tree.

The well-fed leopard had taken care of the remaining carcass bones itself and now sat quietly in the tree like a loyal sentinel.

“The white one was caught by the leopard?” Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow. So much for her plan to go hunting herself—she’d gone to sleep and woke up to nightfall.

She could only go next time then.

For now…

Lin Qianyu stretched, picked up her machete, and said, “Let me start butchering the meat.”If they were unlucky and it rained tonight, the meat would be soaked in water all night—no matter how fresh and delicious, Lin Qianyu wouldn’t be able to eat it.

Maybe because the leopard didn’t come close and had stayed in the tree the entire time.

The black bear didn’t show hostility this time, only shifting its gaze to the leopard whenever it made a move.

Lin Qianyu couldn’t help suspecting that the bear cub was just waiting for the leopard to jump down so it could beat it up.

“Come on, come on, have a snack and relax.” Lin Qianyu teased it with freshly cut beef.

All the prey caught this time had been placed here by the director, so there was no need to worry.

The little bear had definitely picked food she could eat—this was already obvious from the last time when it gave up chasing a zebra and went after a native chicken for her instead.

Even while eating, the black bear didn’t let its guard down.

Since the leopard was eating its own food, Lin Qianyu didn’t cut any fresh meat for it. Instead, she gave it a piece of dried meat—grilled until tough, good for chewing like a teething stick. “Brother Leopard, try this, see if you like it.”

The leopard leaned down and sniffed it, then opened its mouth to lick it.

The cub, always watching closely, immediately sprang up: “Roar!” It growled and shoved Lin Qianyu back.

No!

Lick?!

Pushing her away wasn’t enough—it roared again angrily: “Raaawr!”

Stinky!

Leopard!

The leopard licked the dried meat Lin Qianyu had left and easily crushed it with its sharp teeth.

It usually took Lin Qianyu quite a while to finish one of these, grinding it bit by bit with her teeth. Eating too much even made her cheeks sore.

Watching the leopard munch it down so easily, she couldn’t help rubbing her own cheek.

The leopard’s teeth were still strong—no wonder it could crunch through monkeys, bones and all.

The black bear pushed her back a fair distance from the leopard before returning with its unfinished meat to continue eating.

The red-tailed crested eagle watched the quarrel between the two, calmly pecking at its feathers.

Childish.

As it lowered its head, the flower wreath around its neck slipped down a bit. The eagle smoothly lifted its wing and used its feathers to flick it back into place.

It looked like it had done this several times already.

Lin Qianyu bit into a piece of dried meat as well. Seeing that, she reached out and adjusted the flower wreath’s angle, weaving a few more flowers in to tighten it. “Is that better?”

Even if the wreath fit well, it still tended to slip off when worn like that. If it was too tight, though, it’d be uncomfortable. “Chirp!”

The black bear licked its mouth, glanced at Lin Qianyu, then at the red-tailed crested eagle. Its beady little eyes blinked a few times, and its pace of eating slowed.

Three seconds later, the cub’s ears suddenly stood straight up.

Still holding its meat, it looked up in a daze.Lin Qianyu saw the way it looked, like it had been frightened, and reached out to stroke its ears and smooth its fur. “What’s wrong?”

“Raaawr!” The black bear let out a cry after finishing the meat and bolted.

Flower.

Lin Qianyu: “?”

What flower?

【Jealous, definitely jealous.】

【I love it when the cub bristles—looks like it’s so easy to bully, sob.】

【So… is no one curious what the cub went to do?】

The red-tailed crested eagle tugged the flower wreath on Lin Qianyu’s head slightly to the left, “Chirp…”

Lin Qianyu hadn’t known either and was just thinking of going after it to take a look. Hearing what the eagle said, she paused. “The cub went to look for something?”

Thinking back to what the cub had said just now—

Was it looking for flowers?

“Oooh—!”

The cub ran very fast. Before Lin Qianyu could figure out what kind of flower it was looking for, the black bear had already come running from afar.

Its soft, fluffy fur rippled as it ran, and even from a distance, those bright, shiny eyes could be seen.

The black bear had a flower wreath in its mouth and was dashing over with playful “grrr grrr” noises, rubbing affectionately against Lin Qianyu like it was trying to snuggle up.

So it had gone to find a flower wreath.

“Raaawr!” The black bear lifted its head and passed the wreath to Lin Qianyu.

Lin Qianyu gave its ears a hearty rub, smiled, and helped it put the flower wreath on—intentionally pushing its two ears together toward the center.

“All done.” Lin Qianyu held the little bear’s head in her hands and gave it a good rub, then twisted her wrist to turn it toward the camera. “Look! Pretty little bear.”

The bear cooperatively tilted its head up, “Oooh!”

Yes!

Author’s Note: Good night, sleep early, love every one of you.