Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The next moment, the leopard’s paw landed on her face.

Everyone was fascinated by these fierce beasts, but no one dared to approach.

The black bear stood behind Lin Qianyu like a solid shield, separating her from the others.

The red-tailed imperial eagle perched on her shoulder, its elegant, luxurious tail feathers cascading down to her waist. From its elevated position, it looked down at everyone with a commanding gaze.

The leopard lazily shook its fur. The crooked garland on its head did nothing to diminish the ferocity of the feline predator. Its glazed eyes reflected off the shiny tiles as it led the way, stepping slowly toward the exit.

【——!!!】

【Holy crap holy crap! This is way too cool!】

【Lin Qianyu is so badass ahhhh! She’s so cool I’m taking screenshots like crazy, crying while licking the screen. I love her so much.】

Surrounded by fluff, everyone else in the room silently backed away, giving her space.

No one even dared speak, let alone cry out.

The dog cage was open, and Bawang was crawling on its belly inside, carefully reaching a paw to hook the cage door shut.

Lin Qianyu caught up with the leopard, reaching out to touch its raised tail, then waved at Pei Feng, “I’m heading off first.”

Pei Feng nodded blankly, “Mm, mm…”

Only when Lin Qianyu walked out the door did the people inside finally snap out of it.

“Damn! That really was a leopard!”

“What’s up with the black bear? Two apex predators met and didn’t fight? God, I didn’t even dare breathe just now.”

“That red-tailed imperial eagle is stunning—no wonder it’s called the creature closest to the phoenix.”

“Who is that girl? Is she our new coworker? How come she seems so close with all those animals?”

The rustling discussions peaked as questions piled up without any answers.

Even after Lin Qianyu had walked far away, she could still hear the sound of someone slapping a table inside.

That very day, the matter of the aggressive dog Bawang hit the trending searches.

More than that, what gained the most attention were trending tags related to Lin Qianyu:

#LinQianyuBeastSpeech#

#LinQianyuRedTailEagleBlackBearLeopard#

#BecomingAZooDirectorOnASurvivalShow#

#HumanAndNature#

Since the red-tailed imperial eagle’s appearance in a previous livestream, topics related to Lin Qianyu had frequently topped the trending charts—but this time, the level of discussion soared to a new high.

The most downloaded and widely circulated image was a single screenshot.

It showed Lin Qianyu surrounded by wild beasts, her face pale and fragile, with a smile at the corners of her mouth. The contrast between vulnerability and ferocity didn’t need any dramatic action—the atmosphere of the entire scene alone made hearts race.【This image is absolutely stunning. Even a million-yuan-a-year photographer couldn’t capture something like this.】

【It’s not a staged shot—can you believe this was just a random screenshot from a livestream?!】

【Wuwuwu… I knew this would trend. I watched it live and still get goosebumps seeing this image again.】

A lot of clueless passersby also clicked in, leaving confused comments.

【Who dares grab a leopard’s tail?! Is this person crazy, letting a bear get that close? Is that a red-tailed imperial eagle on her shoulder? Keeping one of those is illegal, right?! You’re gonna be detained the moment you land back in the country, I swear!】

Fans tried to explain, but there were too many comments to respond to one by one. So someone simply posted the link to Lin Qianyu’s livestream and even @ed the director of the show Wilderness.

What a great opportunity for gaining followers—how could they not jump on it?!

Only then did the PR department of Wilderness finally realize what was happening and joined the fray, promoting their own show.

They even emphasized: “Totally unscripted reality.” That, plus the crazy barrage of comments in Lin Qianyu’s livestream, brought in a surge of newly registered accounts.

Most were probably new viewers from outside sources.

【Does Lin Qianyu really speak animal language? I don’t believe it—unless she releases a tutorial.】

【Still feels super far-fetched. Is it possible she and those forest rangers staged all of this?】

【I’m a current forest ranger from the same company. A directive came down from the parent company to investigate bribery. It’s real.】

Just as the lively comment section was in full swing, the livestream suddenly went black.

Long-time fans didn’t panic—they just assumed Lin Qianyu had shut the stream off again. But then the director’s official account appeared in the stream chat.

Director: 【There are too many users in the livestream, causing the platform to crash. We’ve already notified the staff to repair the network. Please remain calm.】

Comments: 【???】

There was still a show going on!

“Crashed? It’s blacked out?” Lin Qianyu had just picked a bunch of wild fruits and was stuffing them into her backpack when she noticed the flood of despairing comments.

She belatedly tapped into her own livestream, only to find she couldn’t even get a black screen—it just popped up with a message:

【Too many users in the livestream. Please try again later.】

…She couldn’t get in at all.

Then the hashtag #LinQianyuLivestreamCrashed immediately shot to the top of trending searches.

Fortunately, the director placed high priority on Lin Qianyu’s stream. Upon realizing the issue, they immediately brought in more tech staff and rapidly added multiple backup lines. Finally, after an hour of downtime, the livestream was fixed.

Lin Qianyu continued walking while picking fruit, and her backpack was already getting full.

The red-tailed imperial eagle chick sprawled across the pile of fruit, pecking at the soft skin with its tender beak—just one peck and the fruit broke open.

Not knowing how long the downpour would last, Lin Qianyu only picked a few that were fully ripe. Most were still green and firm—these would keep longer.

Once the stream came back online, fans flooded the comments with crying emojis.

Lin Qianyu bit into a wild fruit and smiled, “We’ll stream until late tonight. Consider it overtime.”

Barring surprises, the rain would probably come by tonight or tomorrow.

When the storm hit, she’d be holed up in a cave with plenty of time to rest.Lin Qianyu finished eating the wild fruit and buried the pit in the soil. She weighed the hiking bag slung in front of her and said, “The bear cubs have gone out hunting. I’ll take you guys to pick mushrooms.”

Her own batch of small vinegar short-leaf mushrooms hadn’t grown yet, so if she wanted mushrooms, she had to forage.

Luck was on her side—she even came across deer’s tongue greens.

Having barely eaten any leafy vegetables since joining the show, Lin Qianyu’s eyes lit up instantly. “There’s actually deer’s tongue greens here! Perfect for stir-frying with meat.”

She plucked off a leaf and took a bite. It had a slightly bitter taste, but the unique flavor of leafy greens—after days of eating nothing but meat—made even the bitterness feel special.

“Deer’s tongue greens are also called malan greens. I think they’re pretty common in Hainan.” Without realizing it, she had already picked a large bunch. Leafy greens shrink after cooking—what looks like a huge heap might only become a small plateful after stir-frying.

Lin Qianyu said, “Let’s pick more, and make a cold dish too.”

After neatly organizing the deer’s tongue greens and packing them into one side of the backpack, the chick inside tilted its head and pecked at one. The bitter taste immediately made it shrink back its neck with a “chirp!”

Its already small, dark eyes squinted until they almost disappeared.

“Chirp chirp!”

Apparently, the taste wasn’t to the chick’s liking.

It pecked with teary eyes, which ended up looking rather shiny.

Lin Qianyu quickly rubbed the chick’s head and moved the greens farther away. She coaxed, “Come on, come on, have something sweet.” She pulled out a fruit candy.

The candy was a bit too big for the chick, so Lin Qianyu smashed it with a rock through the wrapper and picked out intact shards to feed it.

The adult eagle didn’t like sweets, but the chick seemed to enjoy them. It chased after Lin Qianyu’s hand and ate the broken pieces right off the wrapper.

【Can birds eat candy? Isn’t randomly feeding them like this dangerous?】

【Hiss... There’s nothing about it online. I looked it up and found nothing, but the chick looks so happy. If it weren’t edible, would it still choose to eat it itself? The adult eagle eats it too, just less.】

【I DM’d a bird expert. The streamer doesn’t know anything—better stop feeding it randomly. Let’s wait for a reply.】

【Chick: You consult an expert—how noble. You want to cut off my snacks—you threaten my very survival.】

...

Lin Qianyu saved the candy wrapper and popped a piece into her own mouth. “Don’t worry, the adult eagle said it’s okay. Just be sure to break it into small pieces while feeding to avoid choking.”

Naturally, anything she fed the chick had been “parent-approved.”

“Chirp!”

The chick immediately chirped as if echoing her statement.

Carrying both a chick and bird eggs, Lin Qianyu didn’t plan to go far. She headed back to the spot where she’d previously gathered mushrooms—partly because she knew the terrain, and partly because there were lots of mushrooms. From that path, she could also take a shortcut back to the cave halfway up the mountain.

But when Lin Qianyu stepped onto that familiar path, she froze. “What happened to the ground here?”

Compared to her last visit, a wide and level trail had formed.

If it weren’t for the trampled weeds and broken branches littering the trail, it could almost be mistaken for a manmade path.

As she walked deeper, she noticed that apart from the brightly colored mushrooms, all the paler ones had disappeared.

Lin Qianyu: “……”Bullet comments: 【???】

【Locust swarm passing through? By the way, do locusts eat mushrooms?】

【I know this one! The streamer mentioned there was going to be a heavy rainstorm, so the other cast members started stockpiling food. The edible mushrooms here must’ve all been picked clean.】

With so many cast members, they had to gather a lot of mushrooms.

But looking at the flashy, poisonous mushrooms that were left, Lin Qianyu sighed. “Looks like I won’t be eating mushrooms for the next few days.”

As soon as she said that, she paused and thought—there might not be non-toxic mushrooms to eat, but even toxic mushrooms can be edible under the right conditions.

Lin Qianyu rolled up her sleeves. “Let me see if there are any mushrooms with low toxicity.”

The bullet comments, which had been dutifully discussing mushroom facts, were instantly flooded with question marks.

Clearly, no one expected Lin Qianyu to be this bold. Besides… she wasn’t even short on food.

Just to diversify her meals, she was already eyeing poisonous mushrooms.

Even in harsh wilderness conditions, she still maintained high standards for eating.

Lin Qianyu wasn’t joking—she carefully examined the mushrooms. “Actually, some toxic mushrooms taste better than regular ones, but the cooking process is more complicated. Like the well-known Jianshouqing—its toxins can be neutralized at high temperatures.”

She pointed not far away. “That one’s it. It changes color when cut. The toxins are strong—just licking a knife that cut through a Jianshouqing can poison you. But out here in the wild, I don’t have a high-temperature setup. With just some firewood, it could take forever to cook, and if something goes wrong, poisoning would be a big problem.”

So she looked for mushrooms with weaker toxicity—ones that could be eaten after high-temperature cooking.

Unfortunately, those were also rare.

After working hard for a while, Lin Qianyu only managed to gather a small handful. She wrapped them in large leaves and held them in her hands instead of putting them in her backpack.

If the chick pecked at them while she wasn’t paying attention, it might not be fatal, but it could still faint for a while.

“The supplies I’ve stocked up should last me seven or eight days without going out.” Lin Qianyu patted her backpack thoughtfully. The only thing was that she’d probably be left with just jerky later—other foods couldn’t last that long.

If conditions allowed, she’d really like to dig a cellar—low temperatures would help extend food shelf life.

It was still early.

When Lin Qianyu got back, it was still bright out. While weaving the straw hat earlier, she had used the leftover grass to make a few baskets.

Originally, she wanted to make baskets with handles, but she ran out of material near the end, so they didn’t have handles and couldn’t be taken out—just used at home for ventilation.

She stored the mushrooms separately, and put the remaining greens and wild fruits into another basket.

Lin Qianyu returned the bird eggs to their place. As for the chick, she let it run around on the ground. It still couldn’t fly, but its two little legs were surprisingly agile.

The chick stood on the ground, turning its little head side to side, seemingly not knowing what to do.

When it saw Lin Qianyu walking away, it toddled after her.

Probably because it was still so small, and still covered in downy fluff, it looked soft and puffy—just like a duckling.

Except ducklings are usually noisy—this chick was quiet and calm.

Lin Qianyu organized everything by category and brought a few stones inside from outside. “Little bird? Don’t run off.”

“Chirp?” The chick peeked in from outside the door.“It’s too dangerous outside. You stay in here,” Lin Qianyu said as she moved the mat further inward. She even dismantled the wooden door she had originally fixed and, after modifying the edges, pushed it deeper into the cave.

This time, she had more or less partitioned the front and back of the cave.

She piled stones along the cave entrance and hollowed out the bottom.

Lin Qianyu tried using her machete to grind down a stone slab, wondering if she could hollow out the middle of it, but the usually reliable machete was powerless against the slab.

Helpless, she gave up and used two similarly sized curved stones to piece together a hollow, thick slab.

While constructing the stove, she pressed the two stones down on either side, adding some supports inside to stabilize them.

Once done, Lin Qianyu pressed down on it with both hands. Aside from not being sealed with cement and having a slight gap that made noise when pressed, everything else was fine.

The little bird flapped its wings and hopped up, bouncing around on the slab.

Lin Qianyu laughed and poked it over, giving it a gentle rub before suddenly freezing. “Huh?”

Looking at the height of the stove, she exclaimed in surprise, “You can fly now?”

“Chirp? Chirp!” The fledgling flapped its wings with all its might—it was clearly using every bit of strength it had, managing to lift off just slightly and aiming to land on Lin Qianyu’s shoulder.

But alas, it wasn’t strong enough. It started free-falling just as it reached her chest.

“Chiiiiirp—!” That cry was utterly pitiful.

Lin Qianyu reacted quickly and scooped it up in one smooth motion. “Okay, okay, I get it, you can fly now. That’s already really impressive. You’re not fully grown yet. After a little more time, you’ll fly just fine.”

She placed the fledgling on her shoulder and turned to go reinforce the waterproof tarp at the cave entrance. If the wind blew that tarp away, the wooden door with its gaps wouldn’t be able to hold up.

“Better chop some more trees,” Lin Qianyu said, clapping the dust off her hands. Since it had rained, the ground and trees were damp. Wet wood didn’t burn well, so she wanted to stockpile some inside the cave in advance.

It wouldn’t hurt to store more of it. She could use it slowly, and it’d come in handy every day.

【I don’t know why, but watching the streamer calmly prepare for the storm makes me feel so relaxed. It’s like living in a countryside idyll.】

【Same… this kind of chill lifestyle—what’s the difference from retiring in a village? It’s my dream life.】

【LOL, it’s like all the other streamers have become her foils. They’re always fighting, and just as they solve one food issue, now they have to deal with a rainstorm. Miserable.】

【Mystery solved: Lin Qianyu came here on vacation.】

Lin Qianyu returned carrying wooden sticks she’d chopped to uniform lengths. She stuffed some directly into the stove. To start a fire, she’d also need some dry grass—friction-based fire-starting could produce a flame, but it was hard to keep the tiny spark alive.

She prepared two buckets of fresh water and left the remaining empty buckets outside with the lids open to collect rainwater.

If the rain was heavy, she wouldn’t have to worry about drinking water.

“Phew… That’s about it.” Lin Qianyu let out a breath. Once the mixed mud settled, she just needed to fill in the stove’s gaps and she’d be done.

After all that work, the fledgling perched on her shoulder was already nodding off. Only its little claws were still clinging tightly to Lin Qianyu’s clothes, trying to keep itself from falling.

It was terribly sleepy but stubbornly refused to sleep. Its tiny head kept bobbing, and its eyes would slowly close only to suddenly pop open again. It tucked its neck in, looking dazed.

Watching this little one, Lin Qianyu rubbed its cheek with her fingertip. “Wanna go back and sleep?”

“Chirp!” The fledgling clutched her clothes tighter—its refusal was clear.

“Then… how about here?” Lin Qianyu opened her pocket. “Wanna go inside?”The little bird tilted its head, chirping and flapping its wings as it flew into the pocket, then plop—it fell right in. The little one poked its head out and rested it on the edge of the pocket, squinting comfortably. “Chirp…”

After settling the fledgling, Lin Qianyu resumed repairing the cave.

The stove, now completely coated in mud, had various dents and bumps caused by the irregular shapes of the stones, which gave it a somewhat artistic appearance.

Though it looked rough now, once the mud dried and lightened in color, it would look much nicer.

“All done. I’ll be cooking here from now on,” Lin Qianyu said, washing the mud from her hands. She placed the wok onto the hollowed stone slab and adjusted the angle. “Honestly, it’s still more convenient to cook outside.”

But there was no way the storm would give her the chance to cook outside. It wasn’t really practical to dash out for a barbecue in between showers and then rush back in.

Whoosh, whoosh… whoosh, whoosh…

The waterproof tarp let in some light, and turning her head, Lin Qianyu could see the shadow of something scratching at it from outside.

“Little bear?” From the silhouette, Lin Qianyu guessed it was the black bear. She lifted a corner of the tarp, and the little bear's nose came through first, followed by its furry head.

As soon as it came in, Lin Qianyu gave it a thorough rub. “You’re back. Must be tired—come in and rest a bit.”

The red-tailed mountain eagle came back at around the same time as the black bear. It had two kicking rabbits in its talons—one white, one gray.

With the eagle’s strength, just curling its claws a little could pierce through the rabbits.

The fact that they were still alive and kicking made it obvious the eagle had brought them back alive on purpose.

It dropped the rabbits at Lin Qianyu’s feet, then shook its feathers and leaned in to nuzzle her.

Inside this den full of predators, the two little rabbits trembled in fear.

“Let’s keep them for now—we still have food,” Lin Qianyu said. She wasn’t particularly craving rabbit stew and figured they’d make good food reserves.

【How could you—those two adorable rabbits, and you’re calling them food reserves? I’ll pay 100k for you to release them. If you refuse, I’ll raise the offer. But if you agree… then I won’t buy.】

【LOL do you really need that much money? I’m broke, let me save half a rabbit.】

【Good grief, even Satan would want your names tattooed on him.】

Lin Qianyu picked up the little eagle, wrapping her arms around it to hug its wings tight. Her chin brushed against the flower ring on the eagle’s head. Glancing outside and seeing no sign of the leopard, she asked, “Brother Leopard didn’t come back with you?”

“Chirp!”

Lin Qianyu nodded. So they went hunting separately.

“Let’s eat.” Lin Qianyu had been snacking on wild fruits the whole way, filling up on the juicy ones—she wasn’t hungry at all now.

She went out with a knife to butcher the game the little bear had brought back. That one would be enough to feed them all.

While they ate, there were subtle signs that the weather was changing.

Dark clouds silently spread overhead. Even though the guests below were shielded by tree branches and couldn’t see clearly, they could feel the sky growing darker.

The black bear looked up briefly while chewing meat, licked its lips, then continued eating.

The red-tailed mountain eagle disliked rainy days—it meant getting its feathers wet.

Wet feathers would affect its ability to fly.

Lin Qianyu touched her pocket, then held the fledgling in her palm and passed it to the eagle. “Take it back to the cave first.”The red-tailed mountain eagle lowered its head and carried the fledgling away in its beak.

Lin Qianyu stood up and checked the plastic buckets in front of the cave entrance, piling some more stones around them.

She only had a few of these buckets—if the wind blew them away, they’d be gone.

Out in the wild, if she had all the right materials, Lin Qianyu could even fire porcelain to make bowls. But if a plastic bucket blew away, there was no way to replicate it.

Just as she finished stacking the stones, a flash of lightning split the sky. In the increasingly dark surroundings, the brightness was blinding.

It was followed by a deep rumble of thunder.

Boom—Compared to the red-tailed eagle, the black bear wasn’t particularly affected by rainy weather. They liked water; when it got hot, they’d even go down to the river to swim and catch fish. Getting rained on didn’t matter much—as long as the inner layer of fur didn’t get wet, they could just shake off the surface water and wake up dry after a nap.

Lin Qianyu also took down the waterproof tarp from the shower area to help cover the cave. The thicker the outer layer, the better.

Once the little bear finished eating, it saw Lin Qianyu constantly carrying stones. It walked over to nuzzle her and helped by lifting a stone. “Mmm?”

The little bear directly picked up a stone almost half the size of its body. It held it steady without even a wobble.

Lin Qianyu compared the size of her stone with the bear’s, then decisively placed hers on the bottom and pointed to the top of the cave. “Put it there.”

“Roar!” The little bear lifted the stone and set it in place.

“Alright. Now it’s secure.” Lin Qianyu grabbed the bear’s paw and patted off the dirt on its pads, gave the thick fur on its neck a good rub, then lifted the tarp. “Come on, go inside.”

“Hmm…” the little bear hummed as it entered.

Lin Qianyu didn’t follow right away. Her gaze swept around the area, landing on the tree where the leopard had rested last time.

Now the tree was rustling in the wind, leaves falling noisily, but there was no sign of the leopard.

Hmm...

Not coming this time?

Even though an adult leopard had the strength to make it through the coming storm, it definitely wouldn’t be as comfortable as usual.

Lin Qianyu thought for a moment and decided to go look for it. “Little eagle, little bear. I’m heading out for a bit. You two stay inside.”

“Chirp?”

“Roar!”

Hearing this, Lin Qianyu tucked in the corners of the waterproof tarp and turned to head up the mountain.

She searched the area as quickly as possible. Even at the spot where she’d first encountered the leopard, there was no trace of it.

Could it be out hunting and not back yet?

But judging by the current weather, the leopard would surely have sensed that rain was coming.

Big cats that dislike water typically find stone piles to hide under or shelter in trees right before it rains, to avoid getting too wet.

After circling the area without seeing the leopard, and hearing a few more rumbles of thunder, Lin Qianyu guessed, “Looks like Brother Leopard hasn’t come back yet.”

“I should head back too.”Lin Qianyu glanced sideways at the livestream equipment, then suddenly smiled as if she’d thought of something. “How about I leave the livestream equipment here, and you all help me keep an eye out? If the leopard comes back, let me know through the comments, okay?”

【???】

【She’s going back to enjoy the cave while leaving us out here to shower in the rain? That’s outrageous!】

Lin Qianyu laughed twice. She only mentioned it casually and didn’t actually leave the livestream equipment behind.

Even though it looked waterproof, she wasn’t sure it could handle constant rain. Two had already been damaged—she still wanted to protect this third one if possible.

As she walked back home, Lin Qianyu remained worried about the leopard.

She hesitated, wondering if she should take advantage of the dry spell and search a bit farther out.

Then, just as she stepped onto the platform, she saw the leopard dragging a deer toward her door.

Lin Qianyu’s eyes widened. After all that searching, she hadn’t expected to run into it right at her doorstep. She immediately waved. “Brother Leopard!”

The leopard’s ears twitched. When it saw her return, it dropped the prey from its mouth, licked its lips, and turned to leave.

“Wait! Don’t go yet.” Lin Qianyu noticed its intention to gift her the prey. “It’s going to rain soon, and it might last for several days. If you don’t have a place to take shelter, how about making do at my place?”

As she spoke, Lin Qianyu pointed at the cave entrance tightly covered with a waterproof tarp.

The leopard licked its lips but didn’t respond.

By then, Lin Qianyu had already walked up and sat cross-legged in front of the leopard.

Looks like she had to give Brother Leopard a little persuasion.

“With such heavy rain, where are you going to go? What if it starts raining midway? Then your fur will get all soaked.” Lin Qianyu propped herself to the side, blocking the leopard that was trying to go around her. “I’ve got food and water here, and I can brush your fur too. Little Bear loves getting his fur brushed.”

Ever since she traded with the director for a big brush, she had to groom Little Bear every few days.

The clean, fluffy little bear was especially adorable when it ran, its fur puffed up like a dumpling.

The leopard’s ears twitched, and it licked its paw, seemingly uninterested.

As the wind picked up, Lin Qianyu suddenly spread her arms and lunged forward. “Come on, just stay with me. The cave’s really spacious.”

The leopard was caught in her pounce, its ears flattening against its head as it bared its teeth at her and hissed, “Hss!”

Lin Qianyu smiled with squinted eyes. “Gonna bite me?”

“Roar!” The leopard opened its mouth wide and roared at her without holding back.

Lin Qianyu casually raised her arm and stuck it right into its mouth.

Leopard: “?”

The leopard, mid-roar, froze on the spot.

Seeing the leopard’s jaws around Lin Qianyu’s arm, the livestream chat instantly exploded: 【?!?!!】

Many viewers were stunned, spamming comments like “Crazy,” “Has she lost it?”

Almost everyone assumed the leopard would attack Lin Qianyu. No matter how good-tempered an animal is, it wouldn’t tolerate being pushed endlessly—let alone a wild leopard.

Even people who illegally raise them risk getting attacked.Lin Qianyu was provoking the leopard so recklessly that, at this distance, even the black bear in the cave wouldn’t have enough time to rush out and save her if she got bitten.

【It’s over. She’s seriously nuts. You’re so popular now—why do these dangerous things?!】

【Exactly! A leopard’s temper isn’t a joke. They can even fight lions when they snap—stop seeking death!】

Everyone watching was so anxious they wished they could rush into the screen themselves and shout for “Little Bear,” asking the black bear to come out and save her.

But Lin Qianyu, the one being bitten, was the calmest of them all—like it wasn’t even her arm in the leopard’s mouth.

Even with her arm held in its jaws, she was casually using her fingers to tease the leopard’s whiskers.

The comment feed: 【……】

They didn’t even know what to say anymore.

But the scene they’d all imagined—where the leopard suddenly snapped and attacked—never came.

Lin Qianyu’s smile grew even wider, to the point that her lips couldn’t close. “Weren’t you going to bite me? If you don’t, then you’re coming home with me.”

The leopard just sat there, and the moment she finished speaking, it resumed gnawing.

It held Lin Qianyu’s arm in its mouth, opening and closing its jaws, and occasionally its tongue would flick out. It looked quite serious about biting.

But—there wasn’t a single drop of blood.

It tickled a bit, but didn’t hurt.

The leopard was being very careful, avoiding its sharp canines, and after gnawing for a long while, it hadn’t even torn a thread from her clothing.

【??? I’m starting to think her skin isn’t even broken.】

【Hahahaha what is happening! This leopard’s bite has more fake moves than a staged kung fu scene.】

【Seriously, if someone pressed the leopard’s jaw shut right now, her arm would be gone. Leopard bro, quit acting—if you’re really hungry, bite me instead.】

【Waaah I’m so jealous! Why are all the animals Lin Qianyu meets so good-tempered? Aren’t they all supposed to be beasts? Yet every one of them is like a fluffy little lamb! I want to line them up and pet them bald.】

...

If the fake biting was obvious to the livestream viewers, of course Lin Qianyu could tell too.

The leopard was still “biting” with great effort, but didn’t even use the barbs on its tongue—just one lick with those, and her arm would be a bloody mess.

Lin Qianyu easily pulled her arm out of its mouth, then suddenly lunged forward, wrapping her arms around the leopard’s neck, rubbing her forehead against its head. “C’mon, come home with me.”

Half hugging and half dragging it, Lin Qianyu brought the leopard back home before the downpour started.

As for the prey it had caught…

She brought that in too and left it in the kitchen. If the leopard got hungry, it could just push the door open and eat.

She also left the bones from what Little Bear had eaten where they were. The heavy rain would wash away all traces of scent, so she didn’t need to bother collecting water to rinse off the platform.

When she opened the door—

Little Bear and Little Hawk were both crowded at the entrance, seemingly keeping a constant watch on the outside.

Luckily, the door opened outward. If it had opened inward, with the two fluffballs blocking the way, Lin Qianyu wouldn’t have been able to get in anytime soon."I'm back." Lin Qianyu had been worried earlier about how the leopard would get through the rainstorm, and now that it had shown up, she finally relaxed and went inside to change clothes.

The cave had more than enough space to accommodate all the fluffballs.

By the time she finished changing, the rain outside had already started.

Lightning and thunder roared through the sky.

Even hiding in the cave, the thunder was deafening.

The leopard lay down on the side near the cave entrance, deliberately avoiding the spot where the black bear usually lay—perhaps it had smelled the bear’s scent there.

Outside, the thunder rumbled. Lin Qianyu was tired, but she couldn't fall asleep.

So she grabbed some hazelnuts to shell—these were the salted ones she'd roasted earlier.

The honey-flavored ones had already been eaten up by the black bear.

Lin Qianyu leaned back against a cushion stuffed with straw and old clothes. The red-tailed crested hawk lay across her lap, the black bear sprawled on her right, and only the leopard on her left kept a little distance.

She munched on hazelnuts, occasionally feeding one to the little hawk. The black bear, after tasting the honey-flavored ones, had no interest in the salty kind, so she gave it a handful of sugar instead.

Looking at the leopard nearby, Lin Qianyu crunched a hazelnut and said, “Brother Leopard, can I give you a name?”

【Here we go! Leopard, quick—refuse! Refuse with all your strength!】

【There’s no escape. It’s written in his fate.】

Lin Qianyu hadn’t even listed name options yet, but the comment feed was already full of jokes. She laughed helplessly. “Come on, am I really that bad at naming?”

“Little Bear, Little Hawk, Little Bird, Little Black—those are solid names,” she counted off on her fingers. “Straightforward and clear.”

The comments: 【……】

“Alright, alright, I won’t call you ‘Little Flower’ this time.”

【!!! I knew she was going to say Little Flower!】

【Such a big, mighty, and majestic leopard, and you want to name it Little Flower?! Unbelievable.】

Lin Qianyu made the final call: “Let’s go with Huahua then.”

Simple and easy to remember.

After naming it, she even asked the leopard, “How’s that? Huahua, do you like it?”

The leopard gave her a sidelong glance and turned away to groom itself.

“Hey, Huahua, come over here, to this spot closer to me.” Lin Qianyu patted the space between them. “Just roll over once, and you’ll be there.”

The leopard ignored her, as if it hadn’t heard a thing.

But its ears tilted in her direction, clearly pretending not to hear while actually listening intently to every word.

Lin Qianyu patted the cushion again. “Really not coming?”

The leopard gave her nothing but a cold, fluffy, unyielding back of the head.

And yet...Lin Qianyu looked down—at some point, the leopard’s tail had wrapped itself around her wrist. The agile tail looped once around her wrist, and the dangling tip swayed lightly, clearly in a good mood.

【Aaaaah—how can a leopard be this cute, is this for real or not!!!】

【Huahua, stop being so tsundere. Your tail gave you away, and so did your ears and the back of your head.】

【Hahaha I can’t take it, I love this tsundere big cat so much. I’d pin down its paws and bury my face in its belly. I could pet it bald in a day!】

【Damn that’s so messed up. Can’t you be normal? Who in their right mind can pin down a leopard? That’s why you need me. Let’s do it together—strength in numbers.】

The corners of Lin Qianyu’s lips lifted. She tried to cover her smile with a light cough but failed miserably. She turned her hand over and began to gently knead the leopard’s tail—it felt completely different from the black bear’s fur.

One hand petting the leopard’s tail, the other smoothing the black bear’s fur.

Lin Qianyu was certain—the textures were different, but both were so soft!

The red-tailed crested hawk curled up on her lap rolled over, its soft cheek feathers brushing her neck as it nuzzled into her arms and continued to sleep.

The rain outside grew heavier, showing no signs of letting up.

Raindrops the size of beans pounded on the waterproof tarp with a constant “pap pap” sound. The cold seeped in through gaps but couldn’t get into the cave.

Surrounded by fluffballs, Lin Qianyu sighed, “This is basically paradise.”

Truly a celestial kind of life!

Doing nothing, just hanging out with a bunch of fluffy companions at home—Lin Qianyu could do this all day long.

Her smile practically got stuck on her face.

Around midnight, she started feeling a little sleepy, so she got up to rinse her mouth and lifted the tarp slightly to check the rain outside.

It was really pouring—in just a short while, water was already starting to collect on the platform.

Rainforest terrain usually doesn’t flood, but if heavy rain continues for several days straight, the river levels might rise and even cause flash floods.

Still, since the director had scheduled the livestream during this time, he must’ve assessed the risks beforehand.

Just as she lowered the tarp, she felt a sudden weight on her shoulder. Looking up, Lin Qianyu saw the red-tailed crested hawk folding its wings.

She patted the little hawk’s feathers and glanced back—the black bear and leopard were already asleep—so she lowered her voice and asked, “Why are you awake?”

The red-tailed crested hawk chirped softly, “Chew…”

Lin Qianyu chuckled, “Come on, let’s go to sleep.”

But before sleeping, there was still one last thing to take care of.

Lin Qianyu looked at the livestream setup and waved, “Going black screen now, see you tomorrow.”

Fans still hoping to watch the streamer cuddle up with fluffballs: 【???】

【Ending it this early? That’s not right!】

Usually, Lin Qianyu didn’t turn the stream off at night—she’d just fix the camera in place and let everyone enjoy the rainforest night view.

Aside from the animals, the rare rainforest plants were beautiful too.

But now that they were inside a cave—and the space was so small—keeping the camera on would mean livestreaming her while she slept.And it was still raining outside, so even if the livestream equipment was moved out, it wouldn’t capture anything.

All in all, going black screen for now was the most appropriate.

Before a few comments could even pop up in the chat, Lin Qianyu had already taken off her watch and placed it by her pillow.

Once the livestream feed went dark, the camera was turned to face the wall.

Lin Qianyu lay down on the foam mat. The red-tailed crested hawk first went back to check on its nest, then flew back and landed on top of her head.

Snuggled up next to the little bear, she could hear its soft, tiny snoring.

Unlike the deep, thunderous snores of typical black bears, the little bear’s snores were delicate and light, mixed with the sound of the rain outside—especially soothing.

Lin Qianyu thought, those sleep aid audios online probably sounded just like this.

With the current temperature in the cave, Lin Qianyu just used the sleeping bag as a cushion. Mainly, she just needed the pillow—she didn’t even need a blanket.

She was surrounded by natural sources of warmth.

She rolled over. The leopard, who had its back to her, seemed to be fast asleep, but its tail had already draped itself over her calf as soon as she lay down.

Maybe it was just resting with its eyes closed?

After all, feline predators in the wild spend most of their time either hunting or basking in the sun and sleeping. They alternate between light and deep sleep—and if they’re full and don’t feel like hunting, they can sleep an entire day and night.

She poked the back of the leopard’s head, leaving a little dent in its soft, round fur.

Then she tapped the tips of its ears and gently stroked its back. Her hands didn’t stop moving, and the leopard only flicked its tail occasionally, showing no sign of waking up.

Lin Qianyu smoothed the fur she had mussed and whispered, “Goodnight,” then closed her eyes.

The sound of the rain outside made the moments before sleep feel especially long.

There was no water-blocking barrier at the entrance. If the water on the platform seeped in too slowly, maybe it’d be better to build a waterproof layer at the entrance.

That deer outside—who knows if it could hold on until tomorrow.

And then…

Once everything went quiet, thoughts started to spill over uncontrollably.

In the middle of these thoughts, Lin Qianyu seemed to sense a warm source of heat.

The leopard, which had been lying with its back to her, shifted closer and gently licked her cheek.

“?”

Lin Qianyu instinctively opened her eyes—and immediately regretted doing so.

In the dim light, she couldn’t see the leopard’s expression—but under this lighting, the leopard could see her perfectly.

Just as Lin Qianyu was expecting the leopard to bristle, bare its teeth, and flip over with its tail slapping the ground in protest… the next second, the leopard placed a paw over her face.

As if covering it meant none of this happened.

“……”

After a while, in the pitch-dark cave, a stifled laugh echoed quietly.So cute.

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