Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The Leopard and the Black Bear Slowly Approach, Low Growls Rumble from the Throats of the Beasts

In that instant, Lin Qianyu even wanted to rub her eyes to check if she was seeing things.

It was still just early morning...

Cradling the red-tailed mountain eagle, Lin Qianyu stepped forward in surprise. “Little Bear? Huahua?”

“Roar!”

“Whimper!”

Hmm… it’s real.

They really woke up early just to go hunt a water buffalo.

The deer and zebra they brought back yesterday weren’t even finished yet, and now there was a new one.

Leopards and black bears, who usually hunt alone, typically wouldn’t go after a water buffalo.

“Why did you suddenly decide to hunt a buffalo?” Lin Qianyu pulled the two fluffballs over to check them carefully, worried the buffalo might’ve hurt them. Fortunately, with their top-notch hunting skills and working together, catching a buffalo wasn’t much of a challenge.

The black bear raised a paw. “Awoo!”

Eat!

Lin Qianyu paused. “Don’t tell me… you two thought I liked eating buffalo, so you went to catch one for me?”

Heaven knows… she kept feeding buffalo meat and prey caught by the tiger to the furballs only to help them get used to the tiger’s scent—hoping they wouldn’t fight the next time they met.

But it seemed the black bear and leopard had misunderstood.

They even went hunting earlier than the tiger. Judging by the time, they had left early and returned early too.

Lin Qianyu felt a mix of helplessness and amusement. She grabbed the leopard by the scruff and pinched the black bear’s cheek. “I was just hoping you two would eat more.”

The leopard turned its head and licked her wrist.

“Sigh, forget it. It’s not even dawn yet. Why overthink it?” Lin Qianyu brought the fluffballs back into the cave. “Let’s catch up on some sleep first—everything else can wait till after.”

Neither the leopard nor the black bear were the type to hunt on a three-meals-a-day schedule. Now it wasn’t just daytime hunting—they were even working overtime at night.

Lin Qianyu scolded them into going to sleep.

When she shut the door, she deliberately wedged her watch in the doorway.

That watch would vibrate with an alarm if bumped or scratched—strictly forbidding late-night hunting for the furballs!

—Next day.

When the livestream started, two water buffaloes appeared on screen.

With wild fruit in her mouth, Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow slowly at the sight.

One buffalo had been caught by the leopard and black bear last night—but what about the other one?

The previously butchered buffalo skeleton was still quietly sitting in the corner. After a night, the bright red meat scraps that hadn’t been cleaned off had already turned dark red.

At this point, Lin Qianyu had lost count of how many buffaloes she’d seen in just two days.She hadn’t even seen buffalo tracks from the time she arrived on the island up until just a few days ago.

The leopard and black bear were still sleeping inside. It wasn’t even noon yet—the sun was just rising—so Lin Qianyu didn’t wake them.

She had originally planned to cut up the meat while they were asleep. After only a short nap, she grabbed her knife and came out.

With those two water buffalo lying right there, Lin Qianyu nearly turned back around and put the knife away.

Barrage comments: 【???】

【I only missed one night of the stream—what the hell happened?】

Lin Qianyu steadied herself at the cave entrance, then stepped forward to drag the two buffalo apart a bit to make room to move around.

“I kept feeding them buffalo yesterday and didn’t touch the zebra or deer. They probably thought I especially liked buffalo, so they went out overnight to get more.” She paused and sighed, “Or maybe they just wanted to beat the tiger to it—got a little competitive.”

【Pfft—hahaha, what a beautiful misunderstanding.】

【Buffalo: Is no one going to speak up for me?!】

【At this rate, won’t they have to start importing buffalo from outside the island?】

Whether that would happen, Lin Qianyu didn’t know—but if they really kept up the pace of three or four buffalo per day, the local population might actually disappear.

She splashed some water on the ground to keep the temperature down; otherwise, the blood would get sticky and hard to clean. “Not a big problem, really. Just a lot of meat—I feel like I can trade it for a bunch of stuff with the director.”

The director’s side could accept almost any kind of meat for trade.

Since most guests on the show usually brought in chicken, duck, fish, or rabbit, and unless someone got lucky and found a bird that flew into a tree, no one really brought in anything else. And the crew would cook whatever was traded that very night, so nothing went to waste.

Therefore, the meat only had to meet a weight requirement—the type of animal didn’t matter much.

But… zebra and deer—could those be traded?

It seemed like the director’s team didn’t dare eat those.

Still, she couldn’t possibly feed the animals with leftover fresh meat she herself didn’t finish.

Lin Qianyu thought for a moment and decided to message the director first.

After a while, Su Yuxing replied:

【That’s fine. Prey captured by predators can also be exchanged for supplies. If the meat isn’t suitable for consumption, we’ll pass it on to the rescue station, which has animals preparing for rewilding.】

Being familiar with food in a natural setting helps them adapt more quickly.

Lin Qianyu:

【I’ve got a lot of meat here. Director Su, if you’re free, can you come up and get it?】

She didn’t have the tools—normally, for trades, she would wrap the meat in leaves and carry it down in a backpack.

But with this much meat, she didn’t even know how many trips it would take if she relied on her backpack alone.

Su Yuxing agreed:

【I’ll be there in half an hour.】

After putting down her watch, Lin Qianyu began thinking again. “We won’t finish all this buffalo meat—such a huge one. I’ll just let them gnaw on it themselves when they wake up. I’ll clean out the organs first.”

The small animals especially liked organs—things like heart and liver were always the first to be eaten, often faster than the meat itself.

So she definitely had to set those aside first.

After resting for two nights, her ankle was still swollen, but the sharp pain wasn’t as intense as it had been in the beginning.Walking slowly and not stepping down with full force, she could now manage to walk steadily without stumbling as much.

Lin Qianyu went back into the house to get things and made two trips before she barely managed to pack up all the organs.

When Su Yuxing arrived, the first thing he saw was the pile of animals, and he couldn’t help saying, “Why are there so many?”

He looked clearly half-asleep, likely just woken up, and hadn’t had time to check the livestream to see what had happened with Lin Qianyu.

Seeing so much prey all at once left him momentarily stunned.

“Huahua and Little Bear caught some yesterday, and the tiger too,” Lin Qianyu pointed to the large prey as she named them, then held down the two rabbits that hopped out from the other room. “Director Su, weigh them, will you? I won’t bother cutting them up.”

There was so much prey that slicing all the meat off would be a major task.

Since it was all going to be traded for supplies anyway, it was easier for the director to just weigh it and take it as-is.

Smelling an unfamiliar scent, the leopard pushed open the door on its own and came out. When it saw the director, its eyes narrowed slightly—it seemed to recognize him.

Su Yuxing still vividly remembered being pounced on by this leopard last time, its fangs just millimeters from his neck. Now, seeing it again, he couldn’t help but take a step back.

Lin Qianyu squatted down, reached out to hold the leopard’s neck, and turned its head toward her. “Good girl, it’d be a waste if we can’t finish this much meat, so let’s trade some of it for something tasty for you all.”

“Grrr…”

The leopard didn’t guard its food—and in its eyes, the prey had been brought back as a gift for Lin Qianyu, so it didn’t mind how she dealt with it.

Leaning against her shoulder, the leopard licked her cheek from up close.

Lin Qianyu narrowed her eyes slightly. “By the way, Huahua, can we talk about something? How about next time you don’t go hunting that early?”

The cave wasn’t cold, but waking up in the middle of the night to find both furry ones gone, with no idea where they went—how could she sleep?

Even though she knew they were apex predators in this rainforest, she couldn’t help but worry.

Most importantly—what if Huahua and Little Bear snuck off while she was sleeping and went to fight the tiger?

“And it’s not like I especially love buffalo. I can eat anything,” Lin Qianyu said as she tore off some dried meat to feed it. “No rush with hunting, okay? Good girl.”

The leopard said nothing, its eyes locked on her without blinking, filled with focus.

Seeing her own reflection in the leopard’s eyes, Lin Qianyu couldn’t help hugging and kissing it again.

While they talked, the crew that the director brought had already finished weighing all the meat.

Su Yuxing patted the buffalo skeleton in the corner and asked, “Do you still want this?”

Lin Qianyu: “Can that be traded too?”

“It can,” Su Yuxing said. He’d actually taken a liking to it while watching last night’s livestream. “You did a nice job stripping it.”

“I was planning to keep it for them to chew on.” After a night, the meat had dried out perfectly for eating.

“Alright.” He felt a bit reluctant, but since he’d already taken a whole buffalo back, he could always have a chef carve one up himself.

Once the meat was weighed, Su Yuxing said, “I didn’t bring the supplies with me, but you’ve earned a good amount. You can go pick them up directly at the villa when you’re free—the stuff’s all ready.”

The car was small, and with people in it, there wasn’t room for supplies.

“Okay.” Lin Qianyu scrolled through the photos of the supplies the director sent to her watch, thinking about what she should trade for.Actually, from the start of the show until now, she had pretty much gathered everything she needed.

“Got your eyes on something?” Su Yuxing joked with a smile as he waited for the crew to load the prey into the vehicle. “You’ve practically started living full-time in this rainforest.”

Some people’s caves were bare, while others had pots, stoves, and even turned theirs into two-bedroom setups.

Really, comparing people can be infuriating.

Lin Qianyu shook her head. “I don’t really seem to lack anything…”

Clothing was taken care of by the production team. As for food and shelter—she was eating well, and her living situation was comfortable. That just left transportation...

As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward the vehicle parked nearby—the one the crew was loading prey into.

It was a custom rainforest vehicle provided by the production team, designed to navigate muddy and steep terrain with ease.

Following her gaze, Su Yuxing also realized something. Looking back at Lin Qianyu’s thoughtful expression, then at the leopard next to her, the black bear now emerging slowly from the cave, and even the red-tailed crested hawk perched in the tree—he felt a tremendous sense of pressure.

“N-No way…” Su Yuxing’s voice trembled. He had this overwhelming feeling that if he didn’t rush over and guard his car right now, Lin Qianyu was absolutely going to take it.

【Hahaha look how terrified the director is of this forest bandit surnamed Lin.】

【Don’t be scared, Director Su. If Sister Lin were really going to rob you, do you think she’d warn you first? Don’t panic.】

【Shh, quiet! Don’t let the tiger hear us—what if it drives the car to the villa in the middle of the night? Then what?】

【Damn! That… kinda makes sense.】

…

Lin Qianyu cleared her throat lightly. “It’s nothing, I was just looking.”

Su Yuxing: “……”

If you keep looking, this custom-made vehicle is going to turn into a wild one!

He jogged over to the car and helped lift the prey into it. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading out now.”

He wiped his hands, turned, and slipped straight into the front passenger seat, quickly telling the driver to go.

The leopard licked its lips but had no intention of chasing.

The black bear yawned and ambled over, flopping right onto Lin Qianyu.

She had been squatting, but now she let herself sit down, reaching behind her to pat the black bear that had pressed up against her, then turned to rest her head on the leopard’s back. “There’s meat and organs up there. If you’re hungry, go have a few bites.”

“Grrr…”

The little black snake hadn’t gone out to play today. It slithered out from the crack in the door and coiled around her wrist. Its cool touch was pleasantly refreshing in the muggy heat.

Some non-venomous snakes kill by constriction, wrapping tightly until the prey suffocates, then swallowing it whole.

But this little black snake wasn’t using any force. Even after wrapping around her wrist, it hadn’t left a single red mark.

Lin Qianyu curled her fingers and gently rubbed the snake’s jaw with the pad of her fingertip. The completely black snake, nearly invisible in the shadows, made her fair skin look even more delicate by contrast.

She lifted her wrist, the little black snake coiled like a bracelet, and smiled. “Rainforest-exclusive ink-jade bangle. Pretty, right?”

【Aaaah the little black snake is so pale—wait, no, I meant... uh, yes, that’s what I meant.】【Say a price and I’ll throw it in the shopping cart right away!】

Getting in the cart? Absolutely not.

Even though the little black snake was venomous, it was also on the global endangered species protection list. The moment it appeared in a shopping cart, its location would be locked and the authorities would come for it.

Animals that are too small don’t look threatening and won’t evoke fear.

When a palm-sized animal is lying on your hand—even if it rears up and bares its fangs—it still just seems… kind of cute.

Lin Qianyu also thought that its bared teeth and claws, though seemingly fierce, were really just it trying to act adorable.

Her fingertip brushed lightly over the little black snake. Since it wasn’t coiled too tightly to begin with, one section hadn’t even fully touched her wrist—it really did look just like wearing a jade bangle.

At that moment, with a light flick, the little black snake wasn’t prepared. It spiraled twice down Lin Qianyu’s wrist, curled up and stopped, then lifted its head in confusion. “Sss…”

The next second, the lifted little head flopped right over.

Clearly, it was already dizzy from being spun.

“Haha!” Lin Qianyu cupped her palm to catch it.

“Hiss!” The little black snake suddenly opened its mouth in outrage and coiled tightly around her finger, trying its best to strangle her… finger.

“Okay, okay, I won’t tease you anymore.” Lin Qianyu tapped its little head, smoothing it down gently. “There’s buffalo over there, want some? There’s lots of organs too.”

She carried the little snake over to a shaded spot, where the leftover meat had practically formed a mountain.

Fortunately, the wind wouldn’t carry the bloody scent toward the cave.

Once placed on the meat mountain, the little black snake immediately bit into the nearest chunk—though it didn’t seem powerful, those fangs were surprisingly effective.

Letting it eat on its own, Lin Qianyu scooped up the rabbit that had hopped over.

These two rabbits had been raised for a while now. Plump and round, they were almost bigger than the black snake.

Lin Qianyu said, “Rabbits breed really fast. If these two are male and female, and I raise them a bit longer, I might end up with more rabbits than I can eat.”

And rabbits from the same litter would continue breeding too. If they multiplied enough, she might not even need to hunt anymore.

These two were basically breeding stock.

The little chevrotain got along well with the rabbits, possibly because they were the only herbivores in the household—every other animal mainly ate meat.

So, their bond was forged through the grass they munched on together.

When the forest ranger’s patrol vehicle turned up, Lin Qianyu was lounging outside in the sun with her fluffballs.

Even the little black snake, full from its meal, was coiled around her wrist like a bracelet.

She took off the straw hat shielding her face from the sun, reached out to pet the nearest furry companion, and muttered, “Why is the patrol car here?”

This area had been allocated to the production team for the livestream, so patrollers normally didn’t come this way.

While she was still puzzled, she spotted a familiar face in the patrol vehicle. “Pei Feng?”

Pei Feng stepped out of the car with a smile and said, “Sister Lin, I’m here to pick up the chevrotain.”

That one “Sister Lin” made it sound like she was a whole generation older. Lin Qianyu couldn’t help but laugh. “Aren’t we about the same age? Why are you calling me ‘Sister’?”“In the livestream everyone calls you that.” Pei Feng rubbed his nose. He often hung around in Lin Qianyu’s livestream room; since he could see both the footage and the live chat, over time he just started calling her that too.

“Just call me by my name.” It felt weird being called “姐” by someone her own age.

Lin Qianyu asked, “You’ve finished your work stuff?”

Pei Feng nodded. “Yeah, it’s settled. Digging into it ended up involving several senior executives in the company. The big boss wanted a thorough investigation, so it took a while.”

Using money to grease the wheels had become an unspoken rule. If Lin Qianyu hadn’t exposed the issue live on camera this time, with funds funneled through cards, no one would’ve checked—it was all covered up from top to bottom.

This time, it was only because the head of the parent company noticed that it got fully investigated.

Pei Feng had been run off his feet the past few days. It was exhausting but worth it. The problem was resolved, and he even got promoted. Who wouldn’t be happy?

“This is the little chevrotain you picked up, right? It’s even smaller in person than it looked in the livestream.” One of the reasons Pei Feng came to work here—besides the salary—was because he genuinely liked animals and enjoyed being around them.

Now that he saw the little thing up close, the affection in his eyes was almost overflowing.

Lin Qianyu said, “Yeah, take it back and care for it. Make sure to prepare a separate space—its personality is lively and it’s easy to get into fights with other animals.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already applied for everything.” Since he’d watched the stream, Pei Feng knew just how fierce this little chevrotain was—truly the exemplar of its species.

“Yoo!”

The little chevrotain eyed the unfamiliar man and stomped its hooves, but it seemed to be holding back for some reason and didn’t immediately attack.

Noticing the bigger animals around weren’t reacting aggressively, it silently crept behind Pei Feng and butted him in the lower back.

Pei Feng was prepared. He blocked it with his hand behind his back, but still stumbled a little from the impact.

He pushed the little chevrotain away and added, “By the way, about the forest ranger position—you gave me your documents, and I’ve submitted them, but the review process is slow. Tons of people send in résumés every year, so each case takes time. But don’t worry, I’ve spoken to my superior to fast-track yours. You should get the result in about a week.”

Lin Qianyu nodded. “Okay.”

Given how many protected animals lived on the island, it made sense to be cautious.

While dealing with the little chevrotain, Pei Feng said, “If you get selected, they might do a follow-up call to ask which area you want to be stationed in. Just say you’ll stay in Zone 3.”

Lin Qianyu asked, “Zone 3? That refers to a section of the rainforest?”

“No, Zone 3 is this island. Zone 1 is another island—an isolated one in the ocean, mainly covered in grasslands. Zone 2 is near the polar region, with glaciers and a pretty harsh environment. I wouldn’t recommend working there.”

Pei Feng explained in detail, and Lin Qianyu was left a bit dazed. “Your company has a pretty big scope.”

“The big boss is really into this stuff. Every year, he allocates funding just for the upkeep of these places.” Pei Feng paused, then lowered his voice: “To be honest, these don’t make any money. The big boss has other businesses—those profits go into maintaining these islands.”

Lin Qianyu nodded. Rich people having simple little hobbies wasn’t unreasonable.

If she had that kind of money, she’d buy an island too—just to live there and play with her fluffy friends.

Pei Feng had to continue his patrol, so he didn’t stay long. “I’m taking the chevrotain now.”

“Okay.” Lin Qianyu patted the little chevrotain on the head. “Go on, there’s a better environment for you over there. If I get a chance, I’ll come visit you.”

“Yoo?!” After spending all that time headbutting Pei Feng, the little chevrotain finally realized it was actually being taken away. It started struggling, trying to kick him.

Pei Feng dodged left and right, while Lin Qianyu also reached out to hold it. “Be good, I can’t take proper care of you here.”

If she were a forest ranger, it’d be fine. But she was just a guest on the show, and at this age the chevrotain still needed milk or something. The production crew hadn’t prepared those resources. Even with meat, she couldn’t trade for what it needed.The little chevrotain kept eating grass.

“Yoo!” The little chevrotain absolutely refused to leave. When it realized it couldn’t win in a fight, it turned and ran to hide behind the leopard.

【Hahaha, wow you little chevrotain, can’t solve your problems so you go find your big bro, huh.】

【Ugh, are they really sending it away? Feels like the streamer’s been raising it for days now… kinda hard to let go.】

As soon as it hid behind the leopard, Pei Feng immediately stopped in his tracks. “It seems like it really doesn’t want to leave.”

Lin Qianyu thought for a moment. “Go back with Uncle Pei—he’s got tasty food over there.”

Here, the little chevrotain only had grass and wild fruit—plain and boring.

But the rescue station would definitely have food that was nutritionally balanced and had more variety in taste.

“Yoo!”

The little chevrotain simply hid behind the leopard and didn’t show its face.

“How about this then? I’ll send its food over to you and you feed it for now. Once the show wraps up, I’ll come back and take it?”

Pei Feng could tell the little chevrotain was really attached to Lin Qianyu. “Even if I take it back now, if it’s dead set on coming back to find you, it’ll definitely find a way to sneak out. If it runs into a predator on the way, that could be really dangerous.”

Even though the rescue station had 24-hour monitoring, anything could happen. No one could guarantee nothing would go wrong.

Pei Feng asked, “What do you think?”

The little chevrotain peeked out from behind the leopard. “Yoo?”

Seeing it looking so cautious, Lin Qianyu couldn’t help laughing. “Alright, we’ll do that for now.”

Pei Feng opened the car door and said, “I’ll get back to patrolling. I’m in charge of this area from now on, so if anything comes up, just reach out to me.”

Lin Qianyu: “Okay.”

Even after the patrol car drove off, the little chevrotain still hid behind the leopard, like it was scared the car would turn around and come back to take it away.

“Don’t hide anymore.” Lin Qianyu picked it up. “You’re not being taken away—go play.”

“Yoo!”

After hearing that, the little chevrotain finally came out and started furiously kicking at the slope Pei Feng had just driven up.

The fledgling bird nearby didn’t understand what was going on and thought it was a game, so it started hopping around too.

The platform was suddenly lively and chaotic, but the comment section was filled with question marks.

【Wait… why are you guys suddenly talking about this?】

【Forest ranger? Is the streamer becoming a forest ranger?】

【No way—just started stanning Sister Lin, and now she’s going to be a forest ranger?! What about the variety show! There are still two episodes left—is she not joining them?】

……

Lin Qianyu held the leopard’s paw and said unhurriedly, “If I want to keep coming here, I need a legitimate identity. Otherwise, they won’t allow me on the island.”

When the director chose this location for the show, they had to make a lot of preparations. If she left with the crew without making her own arrangements, it’d be hard to ever come back.“I’ll talk to the director about the variety show later,” Lin Qianyu said. She was used to handling all the prerequisites before diving into something, which made things go much more smoothly.

She leaned back against the leopard, grabbing its tail and laying it across herself, playing with the tip. “Or I could just skip the show entirely and livestream my daily work as a forest ranger.”

【Yeah, right—“daily life.” You’re totally going to sneak in petting the fluffballs without us.】

【Exactly! When the director asked you not to end the stream, you still black-screened it. If you’re streaming on your own, you’ll definitely be even more casual about it! So please, give us advance notice before you go live, don’t make us miss it, sob sob sob.】

Lin Qianyu: “……”

You guys are way too spot-on.

She wasn’t sure when the tiger had delivered that buffalo.

But in the morning while she was still asleep, she vaguely remembered feeling the leopard and black bear struggle to go out. She sleepily hugged them both—one hand on each—and after they settled down, she drifted back to sleep.

It must have been then.

She also didn’t know what the tiger was up to now.

Lin Qianyu rubbed her injured ankle. Even though she had been resting at home for less than two days, it already felt like she hadn’t gone out in forever.

She was getting a little restless. Besides, who knew if the Puerto Rican Amazon parrots had moved yet, or what was going on with the eggfruit she’d seen on the way…

Might as well do something. Lin Qianyu clapped her thigh. “Let’s go check out the mountain.”

Black Bear: “Awo?”

“We’re going to pick eggfruit,” Lin Qianyu said, turning to grab her backpack from the cave. Since she didn’t plan to eat outside, she only brought candy and jerky, leaving space for the eggfruit.

“Chirp!” The red-tailed crested eagle came down from the tree, its feathers brushing lightly against the back of Lin Qianyu’s head like a gentle touch from a feather.

The leopard slowly stood up and shook out its fur. Its deep voice sounded a bit helpless. “Growl…”

—The Puerto Rican Amazon parrots were near the mountaintop.

Since her ankle was injured, Lin Qianyu planned to go as far up as she could, aiming for higher ground.

The little black snake coiled around her wrist yawned.

With it there, Lin Qianyu didn’t need to be so cautious when brushing aside grass and branches. If anything was hiding inside, the snake would slither forward and deal with it.

Combined with her trekking pole, she was practically invincible.

“Is that a rhinoceros hornbill?” Lin Qianyu squinted upward. On a tree not far off, a rhinoceros hornbill had just returned from foraging.

Also known as the great hornbill, its upper beak was a fiery orange-red that extended up to the casque. Its wing coverts were black, with only the wing tips in white. It was a diurnal bird.

Lin Qianyu joked, “In this rainforest, any random little animal you run into is protected.”

The higher classifications were rare-protected and endangered-protected. Calling this place a wildlife paradise wasn’t an exaggeration.

The hornbill was feeding its chicks, so Lin Qianyu didn’t disturb it. She stopped the black bear, who was trying to hug the tree to shake down fruit, and called the leopard to quietly take a detour uphill.

Farther up, they found some eggfruit.

With her ankle still bad, Lin Qianyu was about to set down her trekking pole to climb the tree, but the red-tailed crested eagle beat her to it, flying up and pecking the stems off the fruit with its sharp beak. The leopard followed, leaping up and swatting with its claws.

With the two of them in the tree, Lin Qianyu didn’t need to do anything—she just waited below to catch the falling fruit.The black bear mimicked Lin Qianyu by spreading its arms, trying to catch one fruit here and another there, but its paws were too stiff to curve inward and hold them. So, it simply hugged one in both paws and munched on it.

It crunched loudly as it ate, and Lin Qianyu laughed at it. When the bear finished, she handed it another one.

【Honestly, if this place opened for tourism, I’d be the first to buy a ticket.】

【Let’s be rational—there are too many rare species on the island. It’d be easy for poachers to sneak in with the tourists. Injuries to either people or animals can’t be prevented all the time. Plus, this is a private island—they’re not short on money, and they don’t want to rely on the island for profit. So, in short, the island’s unlikely to be open to the public.】

If someone bought the island specifically for eco-tourism, then sure, opening it might happen eventually. But in this case, it’s purely about preserving the natural environment.

Since the show began, many have tried to dig into the island owner's identity. But after all the digging, the only name they came up with was Feng Jingye. And even on his online bio, the job field was marked as “unemployed.”

Such a mysterious background and overwhelming financial power made fans in the livestream crazy curious—but they couldn’t find a single clue.

Seeing this, Lin Qianyu smiled and suggested, “If you really like this place, you could try applying. The ranger station is always hiring.”

【Forget it. I checked the official site—the requirements are insane, even height and weight have standards.】

【But I think they updated it the day before yesterday. If you have a special way of interacting with animals, you might qualify for a special recruitment.】

【Special recruitment? Just put the name Lin Qianyu down already!】

…

As she saw the chat scroll by, Lin Qianyu raised her brows, just about to speak, when a furious shout rang out: “Lin Qianyu!”

In this vast rainforest, she couldn’t immediately think of anyone who would call her by her full name.

Lin Qianyu turned her head and saw An Lanqing, looking disheveled. Her gaze darkened, and her tone turned impatient: “What are you doing here?”

Several pairs of eyes turned toward them. An Lanqing froze. “I came to find you.”

She took a deep breath. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Lin Qianyu had no intention of going off with her. She gently patted the little bear to calm it down and said, “You all keep picking eggfruit.”

Then, her voice dropped a few tones: “Whatever you have to say, say it right here.”

“Why are you being so guarded with me? It’s not like I can do anything to you.” An Lanqing looked defeated. She always cared about her looks, but now her eyes were clearly shadowed with fatigue. “I was forcibly disqualified. You happy now?”

Lin Qianyu: “?”

That made Lin Qianyu laugh out of sheer anger. “What does your disqualification have to do with me? You talk like your staying would’ve somehow threatened my first place.”

An Lanqing choked. She tried multiple times to calm her breathing but failed. “It’s all your fault! First place should’ve been mine! You’re the one who ruined everything! Why did you have to appear on this show?! The company had already given me the spot—why did you still have to come?!”

Lin Qianyu said flatly, “We’ve barely even met.”

Truth was, without a comparison like Lin Qianyu around, An Lanqing’s so-called “brilliance” vanished. She couldn’t even pass the most basic wilderness survival tests. If the original host hadn’t been repeatedly provoked and used, An Lanqing wouldn’t have gained any fans at all.

Lin Qianyu didn’t get it—did An Lanqing just now realize that she had no shot at first place anymore?

Why the sudden outburst?

She was still trying to figure it out when the livestream comments pieced the answer together in just a few messages.

【Director Su just released the full video of how Guo Yanpeng and Yin Youlin got injured. It wasn’t a rescue at all—An Lanqing pushed Guo Yanpeng from behind. Yin Youlin only fell trying to save him.】

【Thank goodness the rescue station had surveillance footage, or Yin Youlin would’ve been wrongly accused for trying to do the right thing!】【Exactly! Guo Yanpeng knew perfectly well it was An Lanqing who pushed him, but he still insisted he was trying to save Yin Youlin. He’s no good either! But it’s fine—Yin Youlin reported it to the police, so now we just wait for the official statement.】

Lin Qianyu, catching sight of the barrage of comments: “……”

Guo Yanpeng really lived up to his reputation as a bootlicker.

But Su Yuxing releasing the footage directly left no room for An Lanqing or Guo Yanpeng to backtrack. Guo Yanpeng insisting it was Yin Youlin who dragged him down would only make fans roast him even harder.

In the end, it’d all depend on whether he chose to throw An Lanqing under the bus and clear things up, or stubbornly stick to his lie, continuing to slander Yin Youlin even in the face of solid evidence. If he chose the latter... no matter how powerful the forces backing him were, he might not be able to stay in the industry.

Seeing Lin Qianyu glance distractedly at her watch, An Lanqing, already irritable, exploded with anger. “I really don’t know what kind of spell you cast on the director—he’s so obviously biased toward you.”

He didn’t even care about how this video might affect the show, let alone contact her for a private talk—he just directly released the footage, making his stance clear.

She didn’t believe it—if Lin Qianyu had been the main person involved in this incident, would Su Yuxing have been this ruthless?

Lin Qianyu couldn’t make sense of her logic. “You harmed someone that badly and still expect the director to go easy on you?”

“He wants to destroy me!” An Lanqing paused, then let out a cold laugh. “No—he already has. The entire internet is cursing me. The director pinned the blame for the whole incident on me. I have to pay a penalty for breaching the contract, plus all the costs stemming from the public backlash on the show.”

“Yin Youlin refuses to let it go. He’s pursuing legal action to the end. The moment I leave this island, I’ll be detained.” An Lanqing took a deep breath. The exact compensation amount hadn’t even been finalized yet, but the numbers she already knew were enough to crush her.

Before coming on this show, she had been a near-nobody—a fringe figure in the entertainment industry.

She didn’t manage to gain more popularity from the show, and her original reputation was crumbling day by day. She checked her Weibo daily, watching her follower count steadily drop, and it made her incredibly anxious.

Those who unfollowed were real fans. The ones left? Not necessarily.

She had originally planned to use the show as a stepping stone. But now? She hadn’t won first place, and in her current state, even her agency might give up on her.

An Lanqing was in utter despair. “It’s all because of you—everything is your fault!”

By the end, she was practically shouting.

【Whoa, is this girl seriously messed up or what.】

【I’ve been cursing her since episode one—total fake white lotus. When she couldn’t hide it anymore, her tricks just turned pathetic.】

【Jiejie Lin, can you please slap her? If you do, I’ll immediately spend five grand on Haohan Xingkong.】

【The hell are you talking about?! You pushed someone off a cliff! You were willing to kill to be first! Whose fault? You’re the one at fault—how is that “pitiful”? The two people in the hospital are the real victims here!】

…

The comment section was already in full rage.

An Lanqing hadn’t checked the comments in a while—she knew they were all hurling insults at her.

The director hadn’t put the same kind of protections on her livestream that he did for Lin Qianyu’s.

The eggfruit had nearly all been picked. Lin Qianyu had no interest in listening to her whine any longer and asked flatly, “So you came to me just to cry for pity?”

“I—I…” An Lanqing’s lips parted and closed again, her expression gradually filling with grievance. “Can you please ask the director for leniency on my behalf? Kicking me off the show is fine, just… don’t make me take the blame. I really can’t afford all that money.”

Lin Qianyu’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to talk to Director Su directly?”

“He won’t help me.” An Lanqing shook her head. Her beautiful face was full of brokenness. “I’m begging you, okay? Please, just take pity on me. You know how hard it is for those of us at the bottom of the entertainment industry to survive.”

Lin Qianyu: “……”Probably not harder than me standing here listening to your pity act.

【I’m standing right here today, let’s see who dares try moral coercion.】

【Hahaha honestly, seems like our Lin-jie’s got it worse right now. Listening to this crap is just torture.】

An Lanqing kept dragging it out, and Lin Qianyu’s patience finally ran dry. She turned away, not intending to deal with her anymore. “Stop bothering me.”

The moment she turned around, An Lanqing suddenly raised her tear-reddened eyes.

Fans sensed something was off and quickly started typing, telling Lin Qianyu to turn around and be careful.

But they were still a step too late. No one knew where An Lanqing pulled a knife from—she lunged at Lin Qianyu with murderous intent. “You cold-blooded monster—go to hell!”

—Clang! Lin Qianyu spun around and kicked the blade in half, then followed up with a solid kick to An Lanqing.

An Lanqing hadn’t even pulled her raised hand back before the jagged broken blade glinted harshly in the sun. In the next second, a sharp pain exploded in her abdomen. “Ah!”

The pain drained her strength. The knife slipped from her hand. She was sent flying and landed curled up on the ground, leaving a visible trail in the grass.

Lin Qianyu leaned on a tree and pressed her injured ankle lightly to the ground. Still usable—not too painful.

An Lanqing was drenched in sweat from the pain.

Seeing her like that, Lin Qianyu smiled and said, “Now your tears actually look a bit more sincere than before.”

As she spoke, she stepped forward again.

An Lanqing’s expression twisted in panic. “No—don’t come over! Stay away! I’m still livestreaming—I already called the police! You don’t want to end up in jail, right…”

She paused, seeming to psych herself up. “Yeah, intentionally injuring someone is a crime! I didn’t fight back, so it’s not mutual assault. Lin Qianyu, I’m warning you—what are you trying to do?!”

Lin Qianyu frowned. “Shut up. You’re so damn noisy.”

“Heh, what, you control the skies and the earth, now you want to control my mouth too? If you’ve got the guts, kill me! Do it in front of the livestream, in front of millions—kill me, I dare you! A life for a life, I wouldn’t even be losing. My life’s already ruined anyway, come on—”

Her words abruptly stopped.

Lin Qianyu calmly raised her hand. The little black snake on her wrist slithered up and lifted its head at her fingertips.

The red-tailed crested eagle that had been picking eggfruit from the tree swooped down and perched on her arm, sharp eyes locked on An Lanqing.

The leopard and black bear behind Lin Qianyu silently crept closer, low growls rumbling from their throats. Their soft paws made no sound on the ground, but every step seemed to press on An Lanqing’s chest.

She forgot the pain in her abdomen and scrambled up in panic—only to come face to face with a tiger as she turned.

The massive tiger stood on a slope, head lowered, gazing down at her, completely blocking her escape route.

In an instant, An Lanqing’s face turned deathly pale.

“What was it you just said? I didn’t catch that.” Lin Qianyu smiled slightly, her tone soft and polite. “Mind repeating it for me?”

Author’s note: Goodnight, sleep early, love you all.