Chapter 25

Chapter 25

【!!! Are we really bringing the leopard home?!】

【Aaaah too cute!!!】

【So that’s where it went—it went to get the flower wreath. Such a good chubby baby.】

【The little bear looks like it feels amazing to touch! I sniff, I sniff, I sniff like mad! I'd pet a chubby bear bald in a day.】

Lin Qianyu tugged at the little bear’s face as she rubbed it, and the black bear squinted its eyes, letting her mash its fluffy face into all kinds of weird shapes like she was kneading a cotton ball.

“Feels pretty great, honestly.” Lin Qianyu laughed and walked around behind the cub. She grabbed each ear and lifted them up. The round ears, fluffed up on top, scrunched into little points. “Look! A little kitty.”

Then she let them drop and smoothed out the ear fur. “Little bear.”

The black bear tilted its head and sat obediently on the ground, letting Lin Qianyu rub it however she pleased. It licked its nose and leaned back against her.

After playing with the little bear for a while, Lin Qianyu went back to dealing with the meat she hadn’t finished processing.

The sheep’s hide was still kept to be cleaned and used as a floor mat.

The cave wasn’t that big, but if she could cover all the corners and layer the floor thickly enough, it would be much more comfortable to sleep on.

While cutting, Lin Qianyu set aside the innards and placed them on tree leaves so the fluffballs could eat them when hungry.

After working for quite a while, she finally finished cutting all the meat.

It took her a lot of time, and by the time she was done, the sky was nearly dark.

She’d been sitting for a long time, so she stood up and stretched. “I’ll marinate the meat a bit, then dry it out… Hopefully I can dry it before the rainstorm hits. Even just air-drying the surface would be fine.”

Air-dried meat lasts longer.

She didn’t have brine, but she had a fair amount of spices.

Lin Qianyu looked at the tsaoko pods, cinnamon, bay leaves, and such. Normally they were added by weight, but without a scale, she just grabbed a little of each. She figured she could taste it later and adjust based on which flavor was too faint.

She could make quite a bit of dried mutton and beef.

Lin Qianyu didn’t need much meat herself—she mainly ate it to stay full when there were no vegetarian options.

So she only braised two pots of meat. The rest was left plain, with no seasoning.

The braising broth in the pot bubbled gently. Without dark soy sauce or caramelized sugar for color, the broth was pale, but it smelled pretty good.

When she was done, she put the lid on the pot and left it to simmer slowly.

Once the fire burned down, it still needed to be left to sit. It wouldn’t be ready anytime soon.

Lin Qianyu clapped her hands. “Feels like my hands are soaked with spice smell.”

The little bear sniffed her hand, clearly irritated by the scent, and sneezed twice in a row.

Apparently disliking the smell, the black bear licked her palm… and kept sneezing as it licked.

“Alright, alright, stop licking.” Lin Qianyu wanted to push it away, but was worried she’d rub the spice scent into its fur, which would be even harder to deal with.

So she nudged it with her elbow and poured some water to rinse her hands.

Using soapberries, Lin Qianyu scrubbed her hands twice before the spice smell finally started to fade.This time, after handling two such large prey animals in a row, there was a strong scent of blood in the air. But standing downwind while cutting and letting the breeze blow helped a bit.

Just to be safe, Lin Qianyu rinsed off with water soaked in soapberries. “When cooking outdoors like this, animal bones and blood and such must be kept far away from your campsite. If a carnivore catches the scent and comes looking, it could be very dangerous.”

But Lin Qianyu wasn’t afraid.

After all, the animals in her household were all carnivores—even the little black snake.

No matter what creature it was, whoever came would die. Whoever came would become the next meal.

Lin Qianyu was in a good mood today, even humming a tune while hanging the meat to dry. “Brother Leopard, want a flower wreath?”

The leopard lying on the tree didn’t even spare her a glance. Its tail dangled down and swayed constantly.

After hanging the meat, Lin Qianyu folded up the tree leaves and set them aside. As long as they didn’t rot, they could be reused.

She grabbed the leopard’s tail and wound it around her hand once. “This thing—Little Bear and Little Raptor both have one. Want one too?”

“Roar—!”

“Don’t like it? Alright…” Lin Qianyu had made four wreaths earlier. She had prepared one for the leopard too.

The extra one was hung at the entrance of the cave. Until it fell apart, it would serve as decoration.

When she opened the door, Little Bear already slipped inside under her arm like it knew the place well. Lin Qianyu turned and called out, “Brother Leopard, wanna come check out my place?”

【!!! Are we really taking the leopard home now?!】

【Okay okay okay, progress unlocked fast—the tsundere big kitty has already been taken in by the streamer.】

【Wait, hold on, don’t celebrate just yet—Black Bear is Little Bear, Red-tailed Caracara is Little Raptor, so Leopard…?】

【Help—such a majestic, powerful leopard being called Little Leopard is something I can’t accept!】

Lin Qianyu did want to invite the leopard inside, but the leopard didn’t come. Or rather, it didn’t seem like it intended to leave the tree.

Well then, maybe she’d have a chance to bring it home another time.

Before closing the door, Lin Qianyu waved to the leopard. “See you tomorrow!”

She had a leaf bundle in her hand—this was fresh meat she had cut before braising, intended for feeding the baby bird.

Previously, all food prepared for the bird would be packed up and taken back when the Red-tailed Caracara returned home.

Now that Little Raptor was living with her, she shared responsibility for feeding the bird.

“Chirp chirp!” The fledgling flapped its wings enthusiastically when it noticed someone coming in.

“Here I am. Hungry, huh?” Lin Qianyu unwrapped the leaves, took down the nest, and used chopsticks to feed it meat. For convenience, she had even made a new pair of long chopsticks.

The fresh meat hadn’t been rinsed and was still tender with blood, though it didn’t drip.

She was meticulous with the bird’s food and had specifically chosen tenderloin. “Here, ah—” The fledgling stretched its neck and opened its beak, trembling with anticipation.

The meat was cut to a proper size, so the fledgling could eat a piece in one go. It didn’t chew—just grabbed and swallowed.

The Red-tailed Caracara flew back to the nest and settled down to warm the two bird eggs.

“No idea when these two will hatch,” Lin Qianyu muttered. She had looked up information about Red-tailed Caracaras online. Their egg incubation had no set pattern, and the hatch rate was low. The highest recorded count for one clutch was only five eggs.From hatching to fledgling to growing up, it’s an extremely long process.

Little Raptor rubbed against the back of her hand. “Chirp!”

Lin Qianyu’s eyes curved with a smile, and the chopsticks in her hand instinctively turned—by the time she realized, the meat was already at Little Raptor’s beak.

She had been cutting meat and feeding at the same time, and with the nutritious organs earlier, the Red-tailed Caracara was already full. But when it came to this meat, Little Raptor didn’t refuse either.

The fledgling, which had opened its beak and was craning its neck in anticipation, followed Lin Qianyu’s hand as it turned, watching helplessly as the meat was eaten. “Chirp?”

Its little bean-sized eyes were full of confusion.

Lin Qianyu: “……”

“Ahem.” Lin Qianyu hurried to pick up another piece of meat for the fledgling. “Here, here, time to eat.”

She tried to cover up the moment just now with food.

Not knowing how much the fledgling could eat, Lin Qianyu had prepared a lot of meat.

Red-tailed Caracara fledglings knew when they were full—they wouldn’t keep eating endlessly like some birds that would even stuff themselves to death.

When preparing food, Lin Qianyu would usually cut extra, just in case.

With the extra meat, Lin Qianyu fed a piece to Little Raptor, and then gave a skewer of meat to Little Bear—everyone shared.

Even the little black snake sleeping in her pouch got a bite stuffed into its mouth. Still half-asleep, it opened its jaws and swallowed it down.

There wasn’t a good place to put it while sleeping. Lin Qianyu glanced around the spacious cave and didn’t want it to spend the night on the cold ground, so she hung it beside the bird’s nest. “This one, don’t eat it, okay?”

“Chirp!”

Little Raptor wasn’t too interested in the little black snake. The fledgling did bat at it with its claws a couple times, but when it saw it wasn’t moving, it lost interest.

【That’s a venomous snake. Isn’t it too dangerous to just leave it in the cave? What if it bites Little Raptor?】

【Red-tailed Caracaras can detoxify small amounts of venom. Plus, this snake is actually on the Red-tailed Caracara’s menu. Most importantly—this is just a useless little black thing. The chance of a Red-tailed Caracara tripping mid-flight and dying is higher than the chance of it dying from this snake’s bite.】

【Hahahaha damn, that’s such an insult to the snake! If I were that snake, I couldn’t go on living. I’d swim across oceans just to bite you once.】

…

Lin Qianyu laid out her sleeping bag and was about to sleep when she received a message from the director.

To be precise, it was a message sent in the group chat.

Director: “Xie Yifei has woken up. Anyone who wants to visit him can message me privately. But his condition is very bad. Though his life was saved, he has severe lasting effects—his left arm was amputated, and he’s paralyzed on one side. Even if he recovers, it’s impossible for him to be as mobile as he was before.”

“I repeat—this rainforest is full of venomous insects, snakes, and beasts. Do not act on your own. Do not go to places the production team has not approved.”

“The production team’s rules are for your protection. With Xie Yifei’s case as precedent, we hope everyone takes this seriously. This is not a joke. Don’t treat your life lightly.”

At first, when Lin Qianyu saw the director’s message, she was about to turn off her smartwatch. But when she noticed the part about lasting injuries, she kept reading.

The director’s final warning was probably aimed at Guo Yanpeng—after all, he had a history.

If Lin Qianyu hadn’t stepped in back then, Hang Sisi’s outcome might not have been much better than Xie Yifei’s.

The guests who were still awake all replied “received” in the group chat.The director never said exactly how Xie Yifei got injured, but many viewers in the livestream chat pieced together the scene of the incident in just a few lines of commentary.

It was even more vivid than watching the livestream itself.

Lying on the foam mat, Lin Qianyu turned over. Looking up, she could see the Red-tailed Caracara in its nest. As if sensing something, Little Raptor lifted its head and gently flew down, landing by her neck and rubbing its head against her. “Chirp?”

In the dim light from her watch, Little Bear squeezed over. “Mrr?”

“It’s nothing, go to sleep.” Lin Qianyu’s eyes were full of gentle laughter. She turned off her watch and, hugging the Red-tailed Caracara, pounced onto Little Bear.

In a soft voice, Lin Qianyu said, “Good night, little ones.”

—Rainforest nights are cold.

But with natural heaters nearby and a well-sheltered cave, Lin Qianyu slept soundly and comfortably until the sun was high in the sky.

Fans who came early to the stream were already waiting for Lin Qianyu to wake up, spamming the live chat nonstop.

Unfortunately, the livestream remained pitch black.

【You do know how to sleep, huh? Little Raptor and Little Bear are already out hunting! Hurry and get up!】

【This streamer’s life is way too cozy. Director, are you sure you don’t want to make it harder?】

【Other contestants: You really don’t care whether we live or die, huh.】

There was no way to increase the difficulty. The other contestants were already struggling under the current conditions—if things got any tougher, some might be forced to quit.

Although at this point, it seemed like there was no need to wait for the show to end. The winner was pretty obvious already.

Lin Qianyu sat up on her soft foam mat and rubbed her eyes. The light inside the cave was dim with the door closed. Her watch kept flashing with the chat, making her eyes ache.

She squinted a little. “You’re all up so early, don’t you get tired?”

As she exited the cave and reached back to close the door, she noticed the decorative flower wreath that had been hanging there was gone.

She assumed Little Bear or Little Raptor had taken it to wear, so she didn’t think much of it. After shutting the door properly, she looked at the dried meat swaying on the rack. For a moment, she didn’t know what to do.

If it weren’t for the livestream, she would’ve gone back to sleep.

“I think there’s enough meat at home, and we still have nuts. I’ve basically picked through all the trees nearby,” Lin Qianyu said, sitting in front of the door and looking at the sky, sensing that the rain would fall today.

If she picked a bit more wild fruit and brought back some mushrooms, she could hunker down comfortably at home during the storm.

No rush, all of that was easy—just toss together a big bag.

Lin Qianyu peeled a hazelnut. “Let’s catch some ducks today, maybe make a soup… Should I build a stove in the cave?”

But the ceiling wasn’t easy to pierce, and she had no idea where a chimney could go.

After all, it was an enclosed space. If she lit a fire inside without being careful, she could get poisoned.

If she made a stove outside, it’d be hard to light a fire when it rained.

Lin Qianyu flipped the dried meat over. The outer layer had already dried and was starting to glisten with a bit of oil—shiny and appetizing.

Sliced thin and stir-fried with chili or greens, it would be delicious.

The stove would have to wait—first, time to go catch some ducks.Ducks are much easier to catch than free-range chickens. Their only real advantage is that they can swim, but earlier by the river, Lin Qianyu didn’t see any ducks released by the production team. Maybe they had already been eaten by other animals. Ducks might not be very smart, but they also wouldn’t go to the same spot where other ducks had died to seek death themselves.

Lin Qianyu carried the Red-tailed Caracara on her back and weighed a small stone in her hand. She didn’t plan to rush down and catch them by hand—there was a better way.

The goal was to knock them out if possible. If she killed one, they’d eat it today; if it was just stunned, she could keep it for a few more days.

“Should I try raising them?” Lin Qianyu rubbed her chin. “That way I’d have eggs—both chicken and duck.”

Eggs also count as protein, but they’re different from meat.

【Reasonable idea, but… won’t you be leaving the island before they even start laying eggs?】

【Yeah, there’s not enough time for that.】

Lin Qianyu smiled and said, “That’s not certain. Who knows, I might end up staying here long-term.”

【As a permanent guest on the show?】

Not as a permanent guest, but Lin Qianyu didn’t elaborate.

Before spotting any ducks, she first noticed a black bear wandering the rainforest looking for prey. “Little Bear?”

“Wrr!”

Lin Qianyu scratched its neck. “Did you see any ducks around?”

“Wrrr…”

“No, huh? Alright, I’ll walk a bit further then.”

As she spoke, her watch vibrated with a message notification.

‘Buzz buzz’—Lin Qianyu thought it was another group message from the director, but when she opened it, it turned out to be a private message from a ranger.

Ranger: 【I need a bit of help. Are you available right now?】

Lin Qianyu wasn’t too busy, so she replied: 【What is it?】

Ranger: 【It’s a bit complicated. Can you come over? I’ll explain in person.】

Lin Qianyu replied with a quick “Okay,” then patted the black bear on the head. “Let’s go, Little Bear. Come with me somewhere.”

“Rawr!”

—There were no fewer than ten rescue stations scattered throughout the rainforest, each with a full team responsible for unnatural incidents within their area.

Like poachers’ animal traps, for example.

Lin Qianyu walked toward the location the ranger gave her.

Surprisingly, it was very close to the villa where they had first stayed.

By the time Lin Qianyu and Little Bear arrived, the ranger was already waiting at the entrance. When he saw her approaching, he waved. “You’re here.”

“Mm.”

He also gave a friendly nod when he saw the black bear behind her—but the black bear’s stare back at him wasn’t quite as friendly.

“What did you need me f—” Just as she began to ask, Lin Qianyu spotted medical staff carrying out a stretcher, and the rest of her sentence silently died in her throat.Noticing Lin Qianyu's gaze, the ranger looked over as well and said, “That one seems to be a guest from your show too.”

Lin Qianyu shook her head and responded blandly, “Mm.”

At this moment, Xie Yifei, lying on the stretcher, had already noticed Lin Qianyu standing not far away. His bloodshot eyes widened instantly, and he tried desperately to open his mouth, but due to facial paralysis, even such a simple movement looked extremely twisted and unnatural.

In a rush of rage, he lost control again. Xie Yifei's breathing turned rapid, and his face flushed a deep red.

“Lin… Lin—!” His voice was slurred, sounding like a muffled grunt forced out between clenched teeth, hoarse and strained from his throat.

On closer inspection, Xie Yifei’s eyes were asymmetrical—one large, one small.

He couldn’t close them properly, nor open them fully.

Last night had been the most unbearable night of Xie Yifei’s life.

The moment his consciousness returned, he completely broke down.

Anyone waking up to find their once-intact body now shattered would lose their mind!

In the dark, silent night, Xie Yifei had wished nothing more than to strangle Lin Qianyu.

He also couldn’t help but regret his own carelessness.

In fact, Xie Yifei knew—he had known clearly the moment he saw Lin Qianyu bringing the Red-tailed Caracara back to the cave—that it was a trap.

But the bait in the trap had been far too tempting.

He had thought Lin Qianyu might secretly install cameras, or livestream him stealing the bird egg, smear him as a poacher, get him wanted, destroy his reputation.

But so what? As long as he could get his hands on the Red-tailed Caracara, he was prepared to flee abroad, live freely with it in another country.

Xie Yifei had calculated everything—except that Lin Qianyu never intended to manipulate public opinion or ruin his reputation.

She simply wanted him dead.

He had lost an arm. Beneath the thin blanket, an IV drip still hung from his right hand.

Xie Yifei stared at Lin Qianyu with a ferocious expression, burning with rage—but couldn’t utter a single coherent sentence.

—He didn’t even have the ability to curse her out.

That realization pushed him even further into breakdown.

【Ah… what the hell happened to Xie Yifei?】

【Is that… a yellow patch down there? Ugh—disgusting.】

【Can I just say: serves him right?】

Lin Qianyu lowered her gaze, watching the stretcher pass by her. Xie Yifei widened his eyes, stretching out the only hand he could still move, trying to grab her. But the tiny movement barely lifted off the stretcher—he couldn't even manage that.

If looks could kill, Lin Qianyu thought, she’d probably have been dissected by now.

As a fellow guest on the show, Lin Qianyu politely waved to him. “Next time, don’t go strolling through someone else’s home without permission.”

“Pff—” Xie Yifei coughed up a mouthful of blood. Hearing Lin Qianyu say that, his fury surged and nearly choked him.

The director waved his hand, signaling for the staff to hurry up and take him away.In just these few short days, Lin Qianyu had already figured Xie Yifei out pretty thoroughly.

When it came to the Red-tailed Caracara, Lin Qianyu didn’t even need to think hard to guess what that dog-brained Xie Yifei had been plotting.

From the very beginning, Xie Yifei had never seen her as his equal. To him, anyone he deemed harmless or ordinary was someone to be looked down upon.

Lin Qianyu had taken advantage of exactly that. Most importantly… who had time to waste on pointless verbal spats?

From start to finish, Lin Qianyu never cared about popularity or reputation. All she wanted was to keep Xie Yifei away from the Red-tailed Caracara.

What use was ruining his reputation? After seeing enough life and death in infinite survival games, after witnessing the depths of human nature, Lin Qianyu felt that fame was the most illusory thing of all.

No matter how flashy it looked, it did no real damage. A waste of time, nothing more.

A single, decisive blow—making sure Xie Yifei could never again lay a hand on the Red-tailed Caracara—that was what mattered.

The ranger hadn’t missed the undercurrents between the two of them. Though, maybe it wasn’t even undercurrents—it was outright, obvious conflict. “Let’s go inside first.”

The director hadn’t gotten into the vehicle, and hearing this, stepped forward to ask, “Go inside for what? She’s one of our show’s guests. You should’ve seen her last time when she helped rescue the koala. Did she do something wrong? Picked some protected plant and ate it or something?”

“I’m the director of this program. If there’s something going on, you can speak with me first.”

Standing beside Lin Qianyu, the director subtly shielded her with his body in a protective gesture, smiling as he addressed the ranger, while discreetly moving Lin Qianyu behind him.

The ranger said, “No, it’s just that I’d like to ask her for a favor.”

“A favor, huh?” The director nodded in understanding. “Good, as long as it’s not a problem. Our show is still running, so I’ll head back to keep an eye on things.”

“Mm.”

…

The ranger led the way. “Lately, poachers have been running rampant. A few days ago, we were issued a batch of attack dogs—ferocious breeds—meant to be used in situations where firearms aren’t suitable. The idea was that strong dogs could serve as backup in close quarters, but…”

He paused, looking slightly embarrassed for no clear reason. “The one assigned to me isn’t exactly friendly. Since you said you could communicate with animals, I thought… maybe you could try talking to it?”

By the end of that explanation, the ranger was silently cursing himself. That dog had made his life miserable—couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, still had to go on patrol. He’d probably lost ten pounds in the past few days.

The dark circles under his eyes could compete with a panda’s.

He had no other options—this was a last-ditch attempt, treating a dead horse like a live one.

Besides, even if the whole “talking to animals” thing was fake, Lin Qianyu clearly had a good relationship with the Red-tailed Caracara and the black bear.

Maybe Lin Qianyu did have some kind of animal-taming skill.

Even the black bear was so well-behaved around her. Taming a vicious dog should be no problem.

Thinking this through, the ranger’s wavering resolve solidified again.

“Xiao Pei? You really brought her here?” A red-haired man, also in ranger uniform, came out carrying a bucket of water. When he saw Lin Qianyu, he couldn’t help but smile. “You really don’t follow celebrities, huh? Totally clueless about the entertainment industry.”

“You should watch more livestreams, variety shows—there are ones who claim to be martial arts experts, mind-readers, scholars, even Taoist priests who say they catch demons. And you believe all of it?”

He never mentioned Lin Qianyu directly, but every sentence clearly targeted her.

Talking to animals? Anyone would think that was just a made-up persona.

Only a rookie like Pei Feng, who didn’t know any better, would see someone getting along with animals and believe it was real.The red-haired man waved at Lin Qianyu. “If there’s nothing else, you can head back.” Then he turned to Pei Feng. “I’ll just contact the higher-ups and get you a different dog. This one just isn’t a good match.”

“She really can…” Pei Feng wanted to explain for Lin Qianyu, but after the last time when she helped save the koala, he had already said as much. Unfortunately, Tian Leshan never believed him and constantly teased him for being young and gullible—easily fooled by variety shows.

Thinking of that, Pei Feng gave up and simply said, “She’s already here, so let her give it a try. I don’t want to switch.”

Tian Leshan sighed. “Sigh, you’re so stubborn. Even zoo predators can be trained well enough to take pictures with tourists. That bear…”

“The bear has a tracker. It belongs to our reserve. There's no way it’s been trained.” Pei Feng didn’t want to say more and quickly turned to guide Lin Qianyu inside. “Come on, let’s go in first.”

Lin Qianyu: “Okay.”

Tian Leshan shook his head, looking at Pei Feng like he was an idiot.

The black bear obediently followed behind Lin Qianyu. As it walked past Tian Leshan, it suddenly stood up without warning. “ROAR——!”

Tian Leshan shuddered. Before he could even react to what had happened, his body had already frozen in place, slightly leaning backward—he couldn’t even manage to step away.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and cold sweat was already forming on his forehead.

“Xiao Xiong?” Lin Qianyu’s voice was calm. “Let’s go.”

With just those understated words, the black bear responded with a quiet “woo” and turned to leave without hesitation.

Tian Leshan stood in place, dazed and unresponsive, his back drenched in cold sweat.

Inside, as they walked in, Pei Feng—who spent time with Lin Qianyu daily—couldn’t help offering a word in her defense. “Don’t take that just now to heart. Brother Tian didn’t mean any harm; he just doesn’t really believe in this kind of thing.”

“Mm.” Lin Qianyu had heard plenty of doubt by now and was used to it. “Where’s the dog?”

“Just inside.” Pei Feng stepped ahead to lead the way.

He hesitated. “About the bear… maybe let it wait outside for a bit?”

“Xiao Xiong, I’ll just be in there for a little while.” Lin Qianyu’s voice unconsciously softened when speaking to the black bear. “Can you wait here for me?”

The bear nodded and licked the back of her hand. “Woo!”

Since he was told to wait, Xiao Xiong stood by the window.

Lin Qianyu said, “Let’s go.”

Pei Feng nodded stiffly and opened the door. “Let’s go.”

The room’s layout was divided into sections, with cages inside. Stone walls were placed between them as barriers.

But now, only one cage had a dog in it.

Apparently, the other rangers had already taken their dogs out, leaving just Pei Feng’s ill-tempered one—unfit for duty.

“I’ve already been trying to work with it for several days. If I apply to change dogs, it could lower my rank.” Pei Feng was deeply troubled. He had only recently been promoted to a Level 2 ranger. If switching dogs dropped him a level, all his work until now would be for nothing.

Lin Qianyu asked suspiciously, “What does that have to do with anything?”

“One of the evaluation criteria in our assessments is animal affinity. Since this job involves frequent interaction with animals—and dogs are usually friendly—it matters. Plus, the dogs were assigned by higher-ups. If I mess this up, it’ll reflect badly.”

If it were easy to change without consequences, Pei Feng would’ve done it already.

Lin Qianyu nodded, half-understanding, her eyes lighting up slightly. “So, people with strong animal affinity have a high chance of passing the ranger assessment too, right?”"Yes." Pei Feng didn’t quite understand why she was asking, but still gave a definite answer.

Lin Qianyu had something in mind, but for now, the priority was to solve the issue with the aggressive dog. “Alright, let me talk to it. What’s its name?”

“Bawang,” Pei Feng replied. “It’s a Rottweiler. Pretty cool, right?”

“Grr—woof!”

As soon as Pei Feng got close, the Rottweiler aggressively approached the edge of the cage, barking at him.

“It’s already torn through several pairs of my gloves.” Pei Feng was currently borrowing gloves from other colleagues. While others had already started bonding with their dogs, he hadn’t even managed to touch his yet.

【How could a full-grown Rottweiler possibly cooperate with you, come on?】

【Exactly, dogs like this have to be raised from puppies. That supervisor must be messing with him.】

【I just saw a ranger take a Samoyed out—so they’re not even getting the same breeds? This guy’s probably a newbie getting hazed.】

【Veterans must be picking the easier ones and leaving the troublesome dogs for the newcomers.】

Lin Qianyu crouched down at a distance from the cage to observe it. When the dog bared its teeth, those sharp canines were still quite intimidating.

Its bite force was strong, its temperament aggressive, and it looked like it had received training. Definitely not friendly toward humans.

“Hi?” Lin Qianyu tried greeting it.

The Rottweiler cautiously watched her, its nose twitching as if sniffing the scent on her body.

She had been very close to the black bear earlier. The Rottweiler had probably caught the bear’s scent on her, which was why it didn’t act rashly at first.

Lin Qianyu said again, “How about we have a little chat?”

“Woof woof!” This time, the Rottweiler lunged forward, slamming into the cage with full force and barking relentlessly at her.

Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow. “This dog’s pretty smart.”

It had already managed to distinguish her scent from the bear’s in such a short time.

Pei Feng nodded as well, giving a bitter laugh. “Smart enough to make me think it’s targeting me on purpose.”

Lin Qianyu asked, “Why are you going against him? He hasn’t actually done anything to hurt you, has he?”

Clang! The Rottweiler bared its teeth and slammed against the cage, making a loud metallic sound.

“See? Told you.” Tian Leshan walked in with a basin tucked under his arm. “Talking to animals? As if. I’ll go back and help you write the dog replacement request.”

Behind him were several other rangers who had come to watch the show.

Inside, Lin Qianyu also noticed a familiar face—it was the doctor she had met last time. She nodded slightly as a greeting.

The doctor smiled back at her and walked over to stand beside Pei Feng.

【First time seeing the streamer fail to connect with an animal.】

【Hahaha, looks like she bit off more than she could chew. Embarrassing.】

【Come on, this has nothing to do with her not being able to talk to animals—it’s obvious the Rottweiler just doesn’t want to engage. Why blame Lin Qianyu for it? No need to hate for the sake of hating.】

Lin Qianyu pressed her lips together. “It understands what I’m saying. It just refuses to talk to me.”Tian Leshan let out a mocking laugh. “Sure, sure, it understands you. But if it still won’t talk to you, what can you do? Let’s just call it off for now and go home. Wait until Bawang calms down.”

The Rottweiler tried to bite Lin Qianyu’s hand through the cage, its teeth clanking loudly against the metal bars.

“Woof woof!”

Lin Qianyu said, “Can we calm down and have a conversation?”

“WOOF—!”

“Tch.” Lin Qianyu’s patience ran out. She warned, “Bark one more time.”

“Woof woof woof!”

Lin Qianyu immediately turned and walked out.

“Eh? Where are you going?” Tian Leshan called after her, eyes full of ridicule. “No hitting the dog with sticks, that’s against the rules!”

Pei Feng got up to follow, but then they heard Lin Qianyu call outside, firm and clear, “Xiao Xiong!”

“Woo!”

A soft, fluffy reply—and then, inside the room, the dog barking stopped dead.

Lin Qianyu brought the black bear inside. Upon seeing it, Tian Leshan instinctively stepped back half a pace.

Walking up to the cage, Lin Qianyu reached out and unlocked it. “Come on, bark one more time, I dare you.”

The Rottweiler acted like its vocal cords had been removed—quiet as a mouse.

It even gently and carefully disengaged its teeth from the bars.

Its ears drooped, it shrank into the corner, head lowered slightly, eyes darting around nervously.

Pei Feng: “……”

Instant submission?

What happened to the dog that once chased me down to bite?

The black bear didn’t show any aggression—just leaned its head through the small cage door, sniffing.

Inside, the Rottweiler was so terrified its tail clamped tight between its legs, the tip wagging so desperately it was about to become a propeller.

Lin Qianyu gave Xiao Xiong a scratch behind the neck. “Now you should be able to have a proper chat with me, right?”

The Rottweiler opened its mouth—but the moment the bear turned to look at it, it immediately shut up and nodded furiously.

Tian Leshan: “???”

Bullet comments:

【Hahahahaha omg it's so timid now】

【Stand up and speak! I said stand up!】

【My boss is leading a meeting and I’m here watching this livestream laughing like crazy—who else gets it?!】

【Xiao Xiong: You call yourself Bawang? Bawang: Bro, just call me Little Wang.】

【Bawang, I preferred you when you had that rebellious vibe】

【Bawang: Sis, if I knew you had these kinds of connections, I would've cooperated from the start. You want a chat? I’ll sit with you and crack sunflower seeds.】Lin Qianyu held out her hand, palm up. “Shake hands.”

Without a hint of hesitation, the Rottweiler placed its paw on her hand.

The black bear lowered its body slightly and growled, “Rrr…”

The Rottweiler immediately withdrew its paw and started scooting backward, but it had already reached the edge of the cage and could only whimper, “Wuuu waa wuuu waa.”

‘She told me to shake hands!’ The bear turned its head and rested its chin on Lin Qianyu’s palm. “Woo!”

“Okay, okay, I won’t touch it.” Lin Qianyu curled her fingers and scratched under the bear’s chin. “Come on, you step out first. I’ll talk to it for a bit.”

The bear backed up a couple of steps, while the Rottweiler remained curled up in the corner, trembling.

“Why are you targeting Pei Feng?” Lin Qianyu asked, pointing to the person beside her. “He’s your handler.”

The Rottweiler whined twice.

Lin Qianyu paused, then glanced awkwardly at Pei Feng. “Uh…”

“What is it?” Pei Feng, seeing her expression, thought she didn’t understand and said, “Maybe we should just drop it…”

“Bawang said its owner is Tian Leshan,” Lin Qianyu interrupted him. “Tian Leshan told it to bark at everyone who approached and promised it extra meals for scaring people off.”

Pei Feng froze. “…?”

【???】

【What??】

Tian Leshan’s face darkened, and his tone grew hostile. “What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Bawang also said that even if you send it to the base, it still only recognizes you as its true owner.”

Pei Feng’s face went pale. “You left the dog here on purpose so I wouldn’t be able to handle it and would get demoted? Why? Did I ever offend you?”

“Hey now, are you stupid? You believe that kind of random crap? Lin Qianyu, just leave. Stop saying all this weird stuff,” Tian Leshan said, raising his hand to shoo her away.

But when he glanced at the black bear in front of her, his raised hand stopped midair and didn’t dare move further.

Lin Qianyu stroked the bear’s fur and said, “You thought Pei Feng was rising too fast. He was likely to be chosen as the team lead this time. You’ve worked for years to get promoted, and now a newcomer is surpassing you. You couldn’t accept that, so you used this to try and get him demoted.”

Tian Leshan denied it vehemently.

But Lin Qianyu didn’t pay him any mind and continued, “You’ve already written this month’s report and planned to submit this incident. You paid 100,000 yuan to grease the wheels. Director Zhao… his full name is Zhao Xingran, right? After you hung up, you even cursed him—called him a greedy pi xiu.”

She paused, then smiled. “Trying to get things done without spending money, cursing people behind their backs while asking for favors—you’re really something.”

Lin Qianyu shrugged. “Next time, make sure you’re not on the phone in front of the dog. It heard everything.”

Tian Leshan’s face was bloodless, his lips pale, trembling as if he wanted to say something. “I didn’t… Xiao Pei, I was the one who mentored you when you first came here. How could I—”

“Our company is special. All management info is confidential,” Pei Feng said coldly. “How did Lin Qianyu know our direct supervisor’s name?”

At that point, Pei Feng was almost completely convinced.

The other forest rangers, who had been laughing earlier, all fell silent, exchanging uneasy glances.

Pei Feng’s expression was grim. “Should I report Director Zhao for bribery and request a full investigation? Or will you—”

“Enough! What’s there to investigate?!” Tian Leshan snapped, completely losing control. “You’re just a newcomer—why should you get to step all over me? I’ve worked here for so long, worn myself out for these animals, finally about to get promoted—and they picked you instead! You stole what was mine. I just wanted to take it back.”That outburst practically confirmed everything Lin Qianyu had just said.

The live comment feed was instantly filled with shock.

【Wha—What the hell...?】

【Huh? I was just getting into the drama, what’s happening now?】

【Judging by the looks on their faces, it seems real… crap… did the Rottweiler actually say that?】

【Probably, I mean Lin Qianyu hadn’t interacted with anyone else except the Rottweiler. I didn’t expect the competition among forest rangers to be this intense.】

The comments exploded into heated discussion.

Many didn’t believe Lin Qianyu could really talk to animals, but if not, how could a semi-famous actress suddenly be mixed up with forest rangers, and know so much classified information?

It was too unbelievable.

Then again... this wasn’t even the most unbelievable part.

There was no logical explanation, but they had no choice but to admit—it was the truth.

Facing Lin Qianyu, Tian Leshan was panting and still in disbelief. “I dismantled the kennel surveillance long ago. What’s hanging there now is just a dummy. I made sure no one else knew about this—how did you know?”

Lin Qianyu reached out and patted the Rottweiler on the head. “It told me.”

“Well, my job’s done. The rest is your internal matter—deal with it yourselves.” She called to the bear, “Come on, let's go. But Tian Leshan, I’ll say this: If you raise a dog, it’s for life. Tossing it aside when it's no use, then picking it back up when you need it—that's just... inhuman.”

“Thank you for this. I owe you one,” Pei Feng stood up without wasting another word on Tian Leshan. “I’ll walk you out.”

It didn’t feel right for him to just leave the scene in this mess.

Lin Qianyu was about to respond when a bird’s sharp cry pierced the air.

“Chirp—!”

She smiled, eyes curving. “No need, my hawk’s here to pick me up.”

As she spoke, a Red-tailed Mountain Hawk flew through the window, landing on Lin Qianyu’s shoulder, sniffing her scent and scanning the room cautiously.

“I’m not hurt, don’t worry,” she said, letting it examine her.

“Chirp!”

To animals, human dwellings are dangerous. The hawk likely followed her scent the whole way, worried she’d gotten into trouble, and rushed to find her.

Just then, a forest ranger burst in, panicked. “Brother Pei! There’s a leopard guarding the gate outside! What do we do?! It’s even wearing a flower garland—what’s that supposed to mean?!”

Lin Qianyu blinked. A leopard… wearing a flower garland?

Pei Feng turned to look at her.

Lin Qianyu: “……”

She cleared her throat. “Don’t worry. It’s probably here for me.”

Just as she finished, the flower-garlanded leopard poked its head through the gate that had been left open by the flustered ranger. Its gaze swept the room before locking directly onto Lin Qianyu.

“Roar—!”Looking at the crooked flower garland on the leopard’s head, Lin Qianyu couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.

She seemed to have figured out where the garland that used to hang on her door had gone.

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