Chapter 27

Chapter 27

“Huahua! It’s going to rain, hurry home——!”

This rain had lasted for a long time.

In the blacked-out livestream room, nothing could be seen—only some indistinct sounds could be heard, mostly just the sound of rain.

Even so, the stream’s popularity kept rising.

Even without visuals, viewers kept their accounts idle in the room, so they could get notified the moment the video resumed.

There was no light inside the cave. When Lin Qianyu woke up, she had no idea what time it was. The rain outside hadn’t stopped, so there was no rush to get up. She reached over to pull the clouded leopard in closer and nuzzled her head against it.

The sleeping clouded leopard, disturbed in its dreams, lazily lifted its eyelids and licked her temple before continuing to sleep.

Lin Qianyu greeted it softly, “Morning, Huahua.”

“Mrr…”

“What time is it?” She pinched her brow and reached back to grab the watch by her pillow. “How is it already two in the afternoon?”

No wonder she felt a little hungry.

She hadn’t expected to sleep for so long.

After a full night’s sleep, she felt totally refreshed. Lin Qianyu sat up and first restored the stream’s video feed. “Morning, everyone. As you can see, the rain still hasn’t stopped. Looks like there won’t be any outdoor activities today.”

【Waaah secretly hugging the leopard—it's bad enough that we can't touch it, now we can’t even watch!】

【I only missed one night—can someone tell me how the host managed to get the leopard into her arms???】

The livestream had a night vision mode, so there was no worry about visibility in the dark cave.

“I just pulled it into my arms like this.” Lin Qianyu lay back down beside the clouded leopard, stroked its cheek, and brushed a finger over its whiskers. “Isn’t it cute?”

As she said this, her fingers paused. She noticed a whisker in her hand that must have fallen out at some point and froze. “?”

W-What the heck?

Even though she hadn’t tugged on it, having a random whisker appear in her hand was still a bit hard to explain.

The clouded leopard opened its eyes at this moment, looked at her hand, and then at her expression.

Lin Qianyu gave an awkward little laugh and tried to stick the whisker back in. “Accident, total accident.”

But the whisker, stuck loosely in the fur, tilted to the side as soon as she let go and disappeared somewhere.

The clouded leopard yawned, clearly unconcerned about the whisker, and the lazy big cat got up, shook out its fur, and laid back down in a new position—

—once again with its back facing Lin Qianyu.

She didn’t mind at all and instead took the chance to scoot over and wrap her arms around it from behind, placing one arm across the leopard’s neck.

The neck is a very sensitive area for animals. Even a domestic dog won’t let you touch its neck unless it fully trusts you. But this leopard, held around the neck, didn’t react at all—as if it were already asleep.

But… no leopard could fall asleep within three seconds of turning over.

Thinking this, Lin Qianyu’s eyes curved in a smile. She pulled the pillow closer, rested her chin on the leopard’s head, and drew it into her embrace.

“Look, Huahua’s paw pads are pink.” Lin Qianyu held up one of the leopard’s paws, and the camera smartly focused in.Holding the paw in her hand, Lin Qianyu gave it a gentle squeeze. “Super soft.”

【!!!】

【That paw is huge! Why aren’t you pressing your face into it?! Host, have you ever quit any addictions before?!】

Lin Qianyu hugged the clouded leopard and lazily said, “Did that yesterday. Super soft and has a fresh grassy scent.”

The clouded leopard liked to stay clean—or rather, most felines wouldn’t allow themselves to get scruffy.

Lin Qianyu rubbed the leopard’s neck, her fingers curling to smooth its fur bit by bit, mumbling to herself, “What should we eat today?”

In the past few days, she had been eating fresh food while it lasted, then switched to jerky once there was nothing fresh left.

Thinking aloud, she got up and went to the outer room to start a fire.

The waterproof tarp was tightly secured—not a drop of water had gotten in along the edges.

But it flapped loudly in the wind, and the rain pounded down on it like buckets of water, looking quite alarming.

Once the fire was lit, the outer room became noticeably warmer.

Lin Qianyu stirred the firewood beneath the stove, stuffing in more dry grass and leaves to help it burn. “I’ll stir-fry some greens and make chicken stew with mushrooms.”

She boiled water in the pot first—vegetables cook quickly, so she could do that after the chicken stew was done.

Raw, unpeeled hazelnuts and washed cassava sat on a stone slab beside the pot. Lin Qianyu covered the lid and went to cut the chicken. “I used to roast corn and sweet potatoes in here, but this is my first time roasting cassava.”

Cassava is toxic and has to be fully cooked before eating. But with no corn or sweet potatoes in the rainforest, cassava was one of the best staple food options.

She hadn’t had any proper staple food for days. As she turned the cassava, she could already imagine its soft, fluffy texture.

【The host is really living well. Over at the other shelter, the place collapsed and several people are crammed into one room. It’s pitiful to watch.】

【They won’t last long either. The ground’s all wet—even with sleeping bags, it’s hard to sleep. That bit of dry grass won’t last.】

【Latest update—they’ve already started arguing.】

Lin Qianyu closed the pot lid. “The shelter collapsed? The director’s not doing anything?”

After a pause, she asked, “With this kind of rain, can a tent even hold up?”

【The director dismantled the base tents ages ago. He went back to the villa with the staff to wait for the rain to stop.】

Lin Qianyu: “……”

Well, the director really did make a decisive call.

Realizing the tents wouldn’t hold, he preemptively moved the staff out to avoid them ending up in the same situation as the guests.

Extreme weather is a major challenge in wilderness survival.

When the director had the staff build tents near the base at first, it was to ensure guests could be helped in emergencies without disrupting the show’s balance.

Now that they’ve relocated, that’s reasonable too.

But honestly, a collapsed shelter wasn’t a huge deal.

They could just find another place to take shelter from the rain. There was still enough food—plenty of mushrooms—if they rationed, it could last four or five days.The little bear, who had been sleeping indoors, belatedly realized the person beside it was gone. It opened its eyes and, upon seeing the clouded leopard lying not far away, paused before sitting up, then slowly walked forward and used its nose to nudge open the door. “Mrr?”

“You’re awake?” Lin Qianyu opened the door wider. “Hungry? No need to go hunting today. Want to eat a bit and then go back to sleep some more?”

When black bears hibernate, if they eat their fill beforehand, they can go without food or water for months.

The little bear probably wasn’t hungry—it had just developed the habit of going hunting every day.

“There’s so much food at home. Wait until the supplies run low, then you can go hunting.” With rain pouring this heavily outside, stepping out even for a minute would soak you completely.

After coaxing the little bear back inside, Lin Qianyu took out some raw meat she had stored earlier. “Here, eat this first.”

The black bear held it with its front paws and bit off a chunk, but didn’t seem to have much of an appetite. It just held the meat without eating it.

Lin Qianyu fished out the blanched chicken pieces, changed the water in the pot, and began rendering pork fat from some trimmings she’d cut off before. The oil used for stewing dishes was important—vegetable or soybean oil would’ve been better, but pork fat would do.

As the last of the water in the pot sizzled against the hot oil, she poured in some spices.

Small animals typically dislike the smell of spices.

After finishing its meat, the black bear came over and rested its head on Lin Qianyu’s shoulder. As soon as the spices hit the pan, it raised a paw to cover its nose, but didn’t retreat.

Lin Qianyu lifted the lid to block the smell for it. “Want another piece?”

“Mrr…” The bear shook its head and nuzzled against her, squishing its ears flat.

Lin Qianyu stood still, letting it push against her however it liked. She skillfully added chicken, mushrooms, and seasonings to the pot in the right order, then covered it—just a matter of waiting now.

She separated the meat portions for each of her fluffy companions and served them on leaves.

There was quite a lot—probably because of yesterday’s rain and the cooler temperature, the meat had kept well indoors without getting damp.

Best to feed it all while it was still fresh.

Once the chicken-and-mushroom stew was done, the cassava beside it was ready too. She broke it open and steam rose from the soft interior.

Finally, she stir-fried a small plate of greens and carried everything into the house in bowls.

“Mealtime, little ones.”

Lin Qianyu first set down the leaves, then placed the cassava and vegetables on a nearby stone table.

“Table” might not have been quite the right word—it was a platform made by stacking stones. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, it was just the right height for resting her arms on the top stone.

The little bear followed her example from behind, holding the chicken-and-mushroom stew with its paws, one on each side. “Awooh!”

“Thank you, little bear. Here, put it right here.” Lin Qianyu patted the empty spot on the stone table.

The clouded leopard was already awake, lying aloof to the side, showing no intention of coming over.

In the bird’s nest, the little bird chirped and chattered while poking at the little black snake to play.

The red-tailed crested eagle had been watching nearby, and when it saw Lin Qianyu come in, it flew down to her.

“Time to eat,” Lin Qianyu called out. “Huahua? Come on over!”

The big cat, busy grooming itself, glanced over. Under her enthusiastic coaxing, it got up, walked over, sniffed at the meat on the leaf, then looked toward the door, seemingly deep in thought.

“Looking at that deer?” Sometimes, even if the little animals didn’t speak, Lin Qianyu could read a lot from their body language. “There’s still a lot of meat at home. Let’s finish this first, and I’ll cut up that deer next, alright?”“Rrhh...” the clouded leopard let out a low response and lowered its head to pick up a piece of meat.

Lin Qianyu sat by the stone table, her back leaning against the cave wall. In front of her, the three little ones all had their heads down, eating their meat quietly and obediently—they looked so well-behaved.

She seemed to think of something, her eyes softened with a smile as she took a sip of the steaming hot soup.

【Good babies, all of them! Sob... I cook for my brat at home, and he doesn’t even sniff it.】

【It’s hard to describe this scene, but I love it so much. Streamer, come out—this cave is my home now.】

【Add one more seat please, I eat very little.】

...

Lin Qianyu took a bite of the chicken. For the animals, aside from raw meat, some of the food was just plain boiled chicken with a pinch of salt, all deboned pure meat.

Animals can handle raw bones, but cooked bones can splinter and cut their intestines.

So when feeding cooked meat, Lin Qianyu always carefully removed all the bones.

The little bear’s portion had some raw meat with a bit of honey water brushed on it—a sort of two-flavor combo.

The black bear, who wasn’t hungry, wasn’t interested in raw meat, but raw meat with honey was a different story—sweet and meaty, the little bear ate with great enthusiasm.

Lin Qianyu peeled the cassava. The flesh inside looked similar to white sweet potato but didn’t taste as good.

Cassava generally comes in sweet or bitter varieties. She was lucky—this one was sweet, though the sweetness was subtle.

Since it was just a staple food, a faint sweetness was actually more suitable.

“This cassava’s actually pretty good.” Lin Qianyu picked up a piece of mushroom. “I’ll try using the leftover cassava flour to make noodles later. Add them to the chicken and mushroom stew—guaranteed amazing.”

They’d be chewy when cooked but would break easily in the mouth, soaking up all the chicken-mushroom broth, with the flavor of spices, the freshness of mushrooms, and the aroma of chicken. She could even reduce the salt—a bowl of those noodles alone could be a full meal.

The black bear, chewing on meat, responded upon hearing that: “Mrr!”

Amazing!

Lin Qianyu laughed so hard she leaned back against the wall, “Haha, you’re right, little bear.”

The cave was warm and lively, the heavy rain outside having no effect at all inside.

It was a particularly cozy meal.

...

In contrast, the other guests were not faring so well in this rainstorm.

The shelter, collapsed by the torrential downpour, had become a complete mess.

The first to fall was the tent shared by An Lanqing and Guo Yanpeng. Although they had a shelter, the tent was still relatively more comfortable to sleep in. So after the shelter was built, An Lanqing continued sleeping in the tent, while Guo Yanpeng stayed in the shelter.

At first, the heavy rain wasn’t too bad.

Both the shelter and the tents had decent waterproofing.

But as time passed, the rain not only didn’t stop—it didn’t even ease up. The sound of rain pounding against the shelter made a constant patter, keeping them from getting any sleep at all.

But it was a good thing they couldn’t sleep—because that’s what allowed them to escape before the collapsing shelter crashed down on them.Otherwise, if that beam overhead had fallen straight down, and it hit someone on the head, it could’ve been a serious accident.

In the end, all the shelters that Xie Yifei had instructed them to build were completely ruined.

Everyone squeezed into Hang Sisi’s little hut. Since it was built around a tree growing directly from the ground, it had solid weight-bearing support. A tarp stretched overhead kept out the rain. Though it looked simple, it was the last structure still standing.

But later, as the rain grew heavier, the hay inside got damp, and water started seeping in from the sides.

Guo Yanpeng complained, “This hut’s not much either—it can’t even block out the water.”

Hang Sisi, who’d given up her hut because she was too soft-spoken to say no and couldn’t bear to see the others out in the rain, now replied in a heavier tone, “It’s still better than something that collapsed. If the tarp had caved in, it wouldn’t have killed me.”

When Guo Yanpeng had rushed out with An Lanqing, he was a step too slow and got hit in the leg. It didn’t break any bones, but he was still injured and limping.

“I’m not staying here any longer. This rain isn’t going to stop anytime soon. I’m going to take shelter by the rocks,” Hang Sisi said, fed up. Even though the water wouldn’t rise further, the sleeping area was already completely soaked. Staying would only make things worse.

Yin Youlin thought for a moment and said, “I’ll go too.”

That spot couldn’t block the wind, but at least they wouldn’t be sitting in water. They just had to wait out the storm.

With two people taking the lead, the other guests also began to get up.

In extreme weather like this, people tended to stick together.

An Lanqing followed quietly as well, but Guo Yanpeng deliberately lagged a bit behind and subtly tugged her back.

“What is it?” An Lanqing turned around, and a bundle of leaves was placed in her hand. “What’s this?”

“Grilled mushrooms,” Guo Yanpeng smiled. “It’s already afternoon. You haven’t eaten all day—you must be hungry. And with the weather like this, we can’t build a fire, so you eat first.”

An Lanqing looked visibly moved. “But you haven’t eaten either. Let’s share it.”

“Okay.” After saying that, he turned toward the livestream camera with a playful air, putting a finger to his lips, “Everyone, keep this a secret for us, alright?”

【Aww, he’s so sweet! He hasn’t even eaten but still remembered to save food for Qingqing.】

【Such a thoughtful guy. I’m in love.】

【Wait a minute… weren’t those mushrooms gathered by everyone? How can he just hide them like that?】

【He even waited for everyone to leave so he could eat it secretly in the hut… thanks, I’m actually disgusted.】

...

The controversy blew up quickly in the livestream chat. Once fans and viewers caught wind of it, they started spreading the news to other livestream rooms, determined to make sure the rest of the guests found out about Guo Yanpeng hiding mushrooms.

Naturally, Lin Qianyu’s stream also got the message.

The barrage of comments painted the scene vividly.

Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow, “How did he even dare?”

That said, the original script did have this plot point—Guo Yanpeng would save food for An Lanqing when supplies were low, and he even asked the livestream viewers to keep it a secret.

But back then, Guo Yanpeng had a solid “chivalrous protector” image, and An Lanqing’s hardworking, enduring persona had earned her many fans and favorable public opinion.

So at the time, fans were gushing over how sweet it was. No one questioned it.

But now...Their reputations were already bad—one a white lotus, the other a hot-tempered, brainless baboon—and now they were caught hiding food. Even random viewers who stumbled into the stream couldn’t help but spit in disgust.

Lin Qianyu clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Still trying to act like a sweetheart at this point? He deserves the backlash.”

【Hahaha, Guo Yanpeng the stingy schemer is trending now.】

【Breaking news—Guo Yanpeng’s livestream room is packed, I didn’t even get the chance to hop in and curse him out.】

【Thank goodness I got a word in early. I’d be kicking myself otherwise.】

Guo Yanpeng was truly skilled at digging his own grave.

From the start of the show until now, the number of things he’d been scolded for was countless, yet he still smugly believed it was just haters having a field day.

At this point, only diehard fans were still blindly praising him.

Since An Lanqing was the one benefiting in this incident, once Guo Yanpeng’s stream became inaccessible, people flooded into hers to mock her instead.

She even ended up trending because of it.

Lin Qianyu saw the trending topic but didn’t bother clicking in—she just kept chatting with her viewers.

The leopard came back from the outer room after drinking some water. It glanced at the black bear leaning against Lin Qianyu, then turned to head into the corner.

Lin Qianyu was biting into a wild fruit and patted the spot beside her. “Huahua, want some wild fruit?”

She’d originally planned to pick more raspberries, but they spoiled quickly, so she didn’t waste time gathering them.

The leopard wasn’t interested in the fruit, but still walked over and lay down near her.

“Huahua?” Lin Qianyu tilted her head, then lay down face-to-face with it, holding a wild fruit to its mouth. “One bite?”

The leopard turned its face away—no.

Lin Qianyu reached over. “Just one bite, c’mon.”

The leopard still refused.

Lin Qianyu pretended to pull her hand back. “Then I’ll give it to Xiao Xiong.”

Hearing its name, the black bear twitched its ears. “Wu?”

“Awroo!” The leopard suddenly bit her wrist and pawed at her, trapping the wild fruit between its front paws.

Lin Qianyu laughed and pulled her hand back, ruffling the leopard’s ears.

The wild fruit, not fully ripe, had a crisp sweet-tart flavor.

After sitting for a while, it would soften and bring out a fuller sweetness.

Lin Qianyu handed a fruit to each of the furry ones. The little black bear especially loved them, so she gave it two extras.

At that moment, a message popped up on her watch, sent by the director in the group chat.

【According to relevant authorities, this rainstorm may continue for three to five days. Guests should prepare themselves mentally. If anyone is injured or sick, contact us and we’ll send a medical kit.】

【If you really can’t hold on, please apply to withdraw in time. Rewards are temporary, health is lifelong.】

They’d also thoughtfully included instructions for using the distress signal, and what to do if the network was down and someone got lost in the rainforest—how to locate the production team.This message didn’t really apply to Lin Qianyu, but to her surprise, right after the director tagged all members, two guests immediately submitted their withdrawal applications.

Jiang Ke and Jing Zhun sent theirs almost simultaneously.

The director asked symbolically: 【Are you sure you want to quit? Once I mark you as withdrawn on my end, it can’t be changed.】

Jing Huai confirmed.

Jiang Ke sent a laughing-while-crying emoji and replied: 【Confirmed. From what I can see, the first place is already set. There’s no point in me staying any longer. @Lin Qianyu, good luck!】

They all came for the first-place prize. If they already knew they couldn’t win it, why keep suffering here?

Lin Qianyu tapped open the emoji, her fingertip hovering for a second before she clicked ‘Okay’.

Thinking carefully, Lin Qianyu realized she didn’t even know what the reward for first place in this variety show was.

She was just here for a vacation.

The show was only halfway through, and one of the guests hadn’t even arrived yet, but already two had withdrawn.

If this rainstorm lasted any longer, even more guests would likely quit.

Lin Qianyu lay inside for a while but eventually couldn’t stand the ache in her back and waist from staying still, so she got up to butcher some venison—she couldn’t sit idle, needed something to do.

【That deer’s almost as big as the leopard.】

【No wonder it’s Huahua’s catch. Next time, can the host follow Huahua while it’s hunting (mainly I just want to see it)?】

“Leopard hunting... I can’t keep up,” Lin Qianyu said helplessly. “Even if I let the livestream gear follow automatically, Huahua might still outrun it, let alone me.”

Still, since the fans wanted it, she added, “If there’s a chance next time, I’ll film it for you guys.”

As she spoke, she raised her knife to slice the meat, then suddenly remembered something and turned to grab a bucket of water—if she butchered the meat inside, she’d need to clean up right after.

The rain outside was just right—perfect to wash away the blood with.

After splashing the water, she turned around and saw a paw sticking out from a gap near the door—not a full paw, just the front part, as the gap was very narrow.

Lin Qianyu set down the bucket quietly, crept over, and reached out to touch it.

The leopard inside seemed startled. With a swish, it retracted its paw, then pressed its eye to the gap to peek outside.

“Hi there.” Lin Qianyu smiled and greeted it.

Scratch scratch scratch… The leopard started clawing at the door from inside, wanting to come out.

“What is it? You’re not trying to go hunting too, are you?” Lin Qianyu opened the door and quickly crouched to hug the leopard’s neck and hold it in place. “It’s pouring out there, don’t go.”

In the wild, leopards would usually hide in weather like this—they hated getting their fur soaked.

But now, Huahua wanted to go out hunting—most likely because it saw her butchering meat and assumed she didn’t have enough to eat, so it wanted to help.

“Awroo!”

The leopard’s call confirmed her guess.

Half-hugging and half-pushing it back, Lin Qianyu said, “Alright, you can relax for a while. You’re a big cat, after all. Today’s mission is to sleep a solid ten hours.”

Seeing it still reluctant to move, Lin Qianyu simply wrapped her arms under its front legs and prepared to lift it up.However—despite being held in Lin Qianyu’s arms, with its hind legs still on the ground—even when Lin Qianyu raised her arms over her head, the leopard still wasn’t off the ground.

Rather than being lifted by Lin Qianyu, it looked more like the leopard was standing up on its own.

“……”

【All felines are liquid (confirmed)】

【Hahaha how can it stretch this long, and it doesn’t even seem to be the limit.】

【Even though I know Huahua is well-behaved, seeing this kind of scene still makes me nervous it might suddenly lower its head and bite the host—after all, it’s a wild predator with unpredictable moods.】

【Trust me, the furries around the host are mentally more stable than some people.】

Looking at the leopard, who stood half a head taller than her with its feet still on the ground, Lin Qianyu blinked. “Such a big one.”

Normally, when it wasn’t standing up, it only looked about waist-high and didn’t feel this huge.

The leopard didn’t seem to understand what Lin Qianyu was trying to do, but the paw it rested on her shoulder didn’t move. It just calmly stared at the human in front of it.

That blank expression made Lin Qianyu’s heart melt completely. She suddenly had the urge to pin its paws down and give it a good scrubbing—from the top of its head and ears to the tip of its tail.

While it wasn’t paying attention, Lin Qianyu snuck in a rub on its belly. Though the fur there was the same color as the rest of its coat, it felt noticeably softer. She paused, then rubbed again.

“Arooo!” The leopard pinned its ears back, seemingly just now realizing what she was doing, and let out a low growl at her.

Lin Qianyu was already used to Huahua’s pretend-fierce temper. She sent the leopard back inside, patted its tail, and said, “You all play here. I’ll go finish the meat and be right back.”

She was only halfway through cutting the meat—leaving it outside would attract attention with the smell.

The meat didn’t need complicated preparation. She just had to remove the large whole bones inside—it made great chewing sticks.

It wasn’t realistic to give these predators homemade jerky as chew snacks. Big bones were more reliable.

Once the meat was ready, she wrapped it in leaves and stored it in a corner.

She also cut a separate portion still attached to a big bone and brought it inside. That way, if they got hungry or bored, they could chew on something.

When she returned to the inner room, the little bear had already finished its honey water and was busily licking the bowl.

“Xiao Xiong, come here, I’ll brush your fur.” Lin Qianyu pulled out a big comb. Its teeth were made of iron—more durable than plastic.

It had two layers—one wide, one fine—and one pass was enough to smooth out the fur.

She’d combed Da Xiong’s fur before, and the little bear had enjoyed it quite a bit.

Now, seeing Lin Qianyu take out the comb, the little bear abandoned its empty sweet water bowl. “Mrrr!” It walked over and rubbed against her leg.

With a light push from Lin Qianyu, the black bear flopped down limply.

She smiled with curved eyes and grabbed a handful of its belly. “All chubby.”

“Arooo!” The little bear lifted its paw and laid it on her hand.

It’s fur!

Hearing the little bear’s serious correction, Lin Qianyu burst out laughing. “Alright, alright, you’re a lean little bear.”

【? Even spoiling a kid has limits—this level of coaxing is outrageous!】【What’s wrong with a soft, easily toppled chubby baby having a bit of pudge? Gotta grow that chub! Waaa, little bear baby, come into jiejie’s arms now.】

【Seriously, this chubby baby feels boneless—I really want to give it a squish, ahhh!】

The comments were full of people wanting to squish it.

Lin Qianyu sat down, and the little bear huffed and puffed as it climbed onto her lap. She reached out and scratched behind its neck, then slid her hand down its thick back fur and grabbed its round tail. “Is this how you squish it?”

【!!!】

Lin Qianyu gave the tail a squeeze and even pulled it out a bit. “Look, the little bear’s tail isn’t just round—it’s like a rabbit’s tail, you can pull it out.”

It was fluffy too, but still looked cuter when it was all puffed up and round.

After letting the tail go, Lin Qianyu rubbed the little bear’s ears, picked up the comb, and began brushing from the top of its head down to its back. As she groomed, she explained, “It’s not shedding season now, but there will still be loose fur.”

“They often lick themselves and end up swallowing the loose hair. That stuff can’t be digested. In the wild, some animals will seek out grass to eat so they can vomit it up.” After just a couple strokes, the comb was already packed with fluff.

She removed the fur and placed it on a leaf she had set aside earlier. Since there was no wind in the cave, there was no risk of hair flying everywhere.

“Regular brushing helps prevent them from ingesting too much fur, which can lead to reduced appetite and low energy.” Seeing the little bear squint its eyes in comfort, Lin Qianyu teased it with the edge of the comb on its nose. “I’m talking about domestic pets, though. If you run into a wild animal in nature, your first priority should still be to run.”

【Damn it, I already bought a ticket to the tropical rainforest.】

【Is brushing really that effective? I don’t believe it—unless you send me the bear to try.】

Sending the bear wasn’t an option—but she could let the camera zoom in for a closer look.

“You can also trim the fur around the bear’s paw.” Lin Qianyu took a pair of scissors and trimmed some of the longer fur to expose the paw pads. “See, the little bear’s paw pads are solid black.”

The black color looked really nice too.

Each type of paw pad felt different—the leopard’s and the black bear’s had completely different textures.

Lin Qianyu spread her hand and pressed it against the little bear’s paw pad. “Look, it’s even bigger than my hand.”

On stream, the bear looked small, but with a size comparison, it became clear how large this black bear really was.

“But I feel like it’s still very young, probably just a few years old.” Lin Qianyu separated the cut fur from the combed fluff and placed them apart.

“All done.” Lin Qianyu cradled the bear’s chubby head and gave it a thorough scrubbing.

“Wooo!”

“Huahua, it’s your turn now.” Lin Qianyu unwrapped a new comb. These were consumables, so she had stocked a few extras for replacements.

She had planned to use this one once the previous broke, but it was perfect for Huahua now.

Also, since animals were very sensitive to smell, it was better to use separate tools for each one.

Lin Qianyu spread her hands. “Come on.”

She had groomed the black bear first so the leopard could watch and understand what she was doing. For animals, physical actions explained things better than words.

“Grrr…”

Without another word, Lin Qianyu pulled the leopard over and swapped in a fresh leaf. “Trust me, it feels really good.”

“？” Dragged over, Huahua clearly froze for a moment. By the time it realized what was happening, it had already lain down. It pinned its ears back and was about to bare its teeth, but Lin Qianyu scratched lightly on its head, and Huahua’s ears twitched. In the end, it didn’t bare its teeth.【Damn it, did Huahua just give in that easily?!】

【Huahua’s eyes are so clear—definitely doesn’t look like a big cat that would bite anyone.】

【Stop praising already. If any other guest walked in now, forget biting—it’d chase them all over the place.】

【Do we really have to keep emphasizing that all the fluffies only love Lin Qianyu? Wuwuwu… The internet is really too advanced, now I can get pissed off without even leaving home.】

No fluffy creature could resist getting brushed.

Especially not when Lin Qianyu had such excellent technique.

Her strength was just right—gentle enough not to hurt but firm enough to do more than just graze the surface.

Not much loose fur came off. Lin Qianyu plucked a small clump from the comb. Perhaps picking up on its own scent, the leopard leaned over to sniff at the leaf in front of it where the fluff had been collected—then, caught off guard, it suddenly sneezed.

“All done.” Lin Qianyu patted the leopard’s belly. “Go play now.”

Quite a bit of fur had fallen to the ground, so she rolled it up in the leaf to clean up.

“The rain sounds like it’s letting up.” Lin Qianyu carried the leaf out and took a look outside. “Good, it’s lighter now.”

If it had kept coming down like earlier, the platform would have flooded sooner or later.

Lin Qianyu reached her hand out—it was now just a light drizzle, the kind that could be called a misty sprinkle.

It felt like it would stop soon.

“Chirp!”

“Hm?” Lin Qianyu heard the little hawk’s cry and put the curtain down. “What is it?”

The red-tailed mountain hawk was holding her watch in its beak.

—She had taken it off earlier when brushing the bear and Huahua, afraid it would press into them.

“Thanks, little hawk.” Lin Qianyu saw that the watch was flashing with a message.

Hang Sisi: 【Qianyu-jie, do you know if there are any other caves on this mountain?】

Hmm… Lin Qianyu really wasn’t sure.

But she had explored most of the mountain by now—at least, there wasn’t anywhere near her own cave that she hadn’t been.

She hadn’t seen any other caves.

Lin Qianyu thought for a moment, then typed back: 【I don’t think I’ve seen any, but I haven’t gone around the back of the mountain—so I’m not really sure what it’s like there.】

That side was Huahua’s territory. At the time, she’d already settled on her current place to stay, and after spotting the leopard, she’d just ended up playing with it—didn’t really pay attention to the surrounding terrain.

Lin Qianyu: 【Why are you suddenly looking for a cave? I remember the base had a shelter from the rain.】

【It collapsed. It fell in not long after I moved in. I’ve been wandering outside forever and still haven’t found a place to take cover from the rain.】 Hang Sisi’s frustration practically bled through the text.

Just imagine—pouring rain, huddling in a shelter, then the shelter collapses. Hide under a rock, then the rock falls.

No matter how you look at it, it was just a mess.

Lin Qianyu: 【How about coming to my place for now?】It was just that Hang Sisi was somewhat afraid of the little bear and had never interacted with Huahua, so she wasn’t sure whether she’d be scared or not.

【Thanks, but I’d better not bother you.】 Hang Sisi politely declined, planning to search for a cave on her own.

She was thoroughly exhausted, but… if even Lin Qianyu didn’t know of any, then caves on this mountain would be hard to find. 【I’ll go check the back side—if there’s one, great; if not, I’ll just make do under a tree.】

At this point, there was no use worrying about the whole “don’t shelter under trees when it rains” rule.

She was practically getting drowned anyway.

By late evening, the rain that had poured for a full day and night finally stopped.

The air was saturated with moisture, but also noticeably fresher than before.

Lin Qianyu stood in front of the tarp, single-handedly blocking all the fluffy creatures who wanted to go out.

Three pairs of eyes stared at her without blinking.

Lin Qianyu cleared her throat. “The rain’s just paused for now. You can go hunting, but if it starts raining again, you must immediately run back home—whether you’ve caught anything or not. You have to come back on time, understand?”

“Chirp!”

“Woo!”

“Huahua?”

“Rrr…”

“Okay.” Only then did Lin Qianyu step aside and lift the tarp. “Be safe, alright?”

These few had been itching to go out hunting since they woke up—if Lin Qianyu hadn’t kept blocking them, they would’ve bolted out long ago.

Once they dashed off, Lin Qianyu also put on a straw hat and started pushing water off the leaves with a stick, clearing out the pooled rainwater.

The platform didn’t drain by itself—it had to be manually maintained.

She carried the collected rainwater indoors and switched to two empty buckets.

When it came to water use in the wild, Lin Qianyu’s rule was: river water over seawater, rainwater over river water.

Predators mostly hunted within their own territory. Unless there was a severe drought and nothing left to eat in their own land, they wouldn’t risk venturing into neighboring areas for food.

Right after a rainstorm, there should be quite a few animals venturing out to forage during the brief dry window.

With how strong her fluffies were, hunting was a breeze for them.

Lin Qianyu did a thorough cleaning of the entire platform. It returned to its original clean state—though the color had darkened slightly from the water.

She didn’t close the door, and left an opening in the tarp for them to come and go freely.

Once everything was done, Lin Qianyu stretched, picked up her watch, and went off to chat with the ranger.

—

Up in the mountains.

Hang Sisi trudged at the front of the group, stumbling across the muddy ground.

Guo Yanpeng supported An Lanqing. Every step they took sank into the mud. “Seriously, where is this cave? We’ve been walking forever. You might not be tired, but we are.”

“There’s a cave at Qianyu-jie’s place. Should we go there?” Hang Sisi’s hair was soaked from the rain. She’d taken off the hood from the poncho the crew had given her, and she just felt completely drained.Whenever Lin Qianyu was mentioned, Guo Yanpeng immediately stopped and dared not say another word.

Hang Sisi relayed the message Lin Qianyu sent her to the others and suggested, “How about we split up to look?”

An Lanqing naturally disagreed with this proposal. “It just rained, the ground is soft; splitting up is too dangerous. If we stay together, if someone accidentally sinks, with more people, we can pull them out.”

If they split up, she would definitely only follow Guo Yanpeng, always having to appease him. The past few days, An Lanqing had been worn down by the livestream ordeal and had little patience left.

Hang Sisi pursed her lips and gave up on arguing. “Then let’s go.”

Because there was no specific direction, and the heavy rain had washed away many traces, there wasn’t even a single footprint visible on the mountain.

They could only follow the map and the general direction of the mountain.

Perhaps due to physical and mental exhaustion, Hang Sisi no longer felt tired—she mechanically stepped forward, sinking into mud puddles with each step.

After an unknown amount of time, Guo Yanpeng suddenly spoke in a trembling voice, “Did that tree just move?”

At this, everyone froze for a moment.

This was not within the safety zone designated by the production team. An Lanqing already held Guo Yanpeng’s distress signal in her hand.

‘Plop’—a dead sheep fell from the tree.

Guo Yanpeng shrank his neck but still turned sideways to shield An Lanqing behind him.

The next moment, a leopard leapt down from the tree, standing behind the sheep. Its crystal-clear eyes scanned everyone as it let out a warning low growl from its throat.

【Holy sh**?! It’s a leopard! Run!】

【Don’t run! When stalked by a feline, never turn your back on them!】

【Is it Huahua? It looks like Huahua to me?】

【Are you crazy?! Calling a leopard so affectionately? Even giving it a nickname? People would think it’s your pet!】

The live chat exploded with various comments.

But the guests on-site didn’t dare move a muscle, fearing that even twitching a finger would make them the leopard’s first target.

Hang Sisi swallowed hard with difficulty, her heart pounding so fast it seemed ready to leap out of her chest.

Under such a stare, cold sweat ran down her back into her already soaked clothes.

They didn’t dare move, but the leopard slowly lowered its body during the standoff, stepped cautiously forward, crossed over the sheep, and growled while approaching.

—“Huahua!”

The leopard paused, tilted its head, and looked toward the source of the voice but saw no one.

“Huahua! It’s going to rain, hurry home—!”

Lin Qianyu’s shouted voice still echoed through the mountains.

Hang Sisi was somewhat confused, not quite understanding what was happening, when the leopard shot them a sideways glance, lowered its head, picked up the sheep in its mouth, and bypassed them, running toward the direction of Lin Qianyu’s voice.

Author’s note: Good night, go to bed early, love you all.