Chapter 42
Chapter 42
A pair of round, black eyes carried a silly smile, "Mrr!"
Kevin had gone off chasing the spotted leopard cat to find his daughter and wouldn’t be back for a while.
Lin Qianyu held onto the stroller handle. “I’ll take Little Wolf for a stroll. You all go do your own thing.”
She was just stepping out for a short walk, but a whole crowd had followed behind. Anyone seeing it might think something major had happened.
Professor Zhao still had many unresolved questions and clearly didn’t want to leave. He was hesitating, unsure what excuse to use to stay, when suddenly there was a loud shout from outside: “Ahhh—! Help! Help me!!!”
Kevin, who had just happily chased after the leopard cat, came rushing back in a panic. He pointed outside with trembling fingers, lips quivering for a while before he finally managed to cry out, “Help!”
The spotted leopard cat, who had just been grumbling moments ago, was even more decisive than Kevin. It leapt straight into the room and slammed the door shut behind it with a paw.
Clack.
It was as if everyone had lost the ability to speak—only Kevin was left screaming.
【Uh...?】
【What happened? Did the daughter who went missing find her way back on her own?】
【Is it just me, or is that leopard cat super smart? It even closed the door by itself. Incredible.】
Professor Zhao pushed up his glasses. “Kevin, don’t overreact. Speak clearly. You’re an adult, be more composed.”
But as soon as he focused and looked carefully, his eyes widened in shock and he exclaimed, “What is that?!”
A tiger was walking down the corridor. Its massive body nearly filled the entire hallway. It crouched low and crept forward, step by step.
Professor Zhao quickly pulled out his phone and dialed a number while shouting, “Where’s security?! Where are the patrol team members?!”
“The patrol team got blocked downstairs by a black bear and a leopard. And there’s a red-tailed forest eagle! My god, a live red-tailed forest eagle! No one dares move, they’re all backing away,” Kevin stammered. Anyone would nearly faint if they opened a door and were face-to-face with such a huge tiger.
Kevin barely managed to run back on trembling legs, Adam’s apple bobbing as beads of cold sweat dripped from his forehead. “What do we do now? Run? Fei! Say something!”
Pei Feng had already moved one foot back as if ready to flee, but then thought of something and said, “No need to retreat. It came for Miss Lin. Tell the people downstairs not to use tranquilizers on the black bear and leopard—they’re just clearing a path for the tiger. If they stay still, the animals won’t hurt them.”
Kevin: “??? What are you even talking about, Pei?!”
Before anyone else could react, Bo Shushu had already typed a message. “Brother Pei, I’ve sent a message to the broadcast room.”
If the patrol team was dealing with beasts, they probably wouldn’t have time to check their phones.
But the broadcast would go through the whole compound—even those not in this building could hear it from the plaza.
Pei Feng nodded. “Good. Miss Lin, we’ll leave the tiger to you. We’re going.”
“Oh no, Pei! What are you saying? You’re letting a lady handle the tiger? I won’t allow it! Pei, you’ve gone too far.” Kevin might not have been that close to Lin Qianyu, but she’d just helped him out a great deal. Besides, how could a girl who looked so delicate and defenseless possibly stop a tiger?
Kevin resolutely stepped in front of Lin Qianyu. “Lin, don’t be scared. I’ll protect you.”
“Roar—!” The tiger let out a low growl at him, clearly annoyed by his actions.
Kevin flinched but didn’t move, looking as if he was saying: if someone has to get bitten, bite me first.
Lin Qianyu patted Kevin’s shoulder. “It’s okay. It came for me. I’ll go.”
“How can that be?!” Kevin grew even more determined. “You know it came for you and you're not running? I’ll cover you—go, quickly!”【Hahaha, so loyal.】
【When Sister Lin said “looking for,” she didn’t mean “coming to settle a score”—she meant the tiger came looking because it was late and she hadn’t come home!】
【It looks like a normal conversation, but actually they’re talking about completely different things—and somehow it still works! I’m dying laughing.】
“Don’t worry! I know kung fu, I’ll stall it,” Kevin said, thumping his chest.
Pei Feng: “……”
Professor Zhao’s heart was already in his throat. The only surviving tiger species from the rainforest—it was instantly distinguishable from ordinary tigers.
This breed combined all the advantages of the Siberian tiger and Caspian tiger, and even developed in other areas. You could say it was a hexagonally maxed-out warrior of the animal kingdom.
Extremely intelligent, just not very good-tempered.
The fights between this tiger and Feng Jingye were practically common knowledge. Anyone who had worked on the island for a year had seen them brawl at least once.
The tiger didn’t lack food and wouldn’t eat Feng Jingye. But like many big cats, it had the habit of catching prey and playing with it before eating—if it ate at all.
If Feng Jingye hadn’t spent years tangling with the tiger and gaining combat experience, anyone else probably wouldn’t last more than a few rounds in its claws.
Even so, the worst incident still ended with an emergency helicopter evacuation for first aid.
The terror this tiger inspired was deeply etched in every staff member’s heart.
Professor Zhao was gripping his phone, halfway through typing a message when he heard Pei Feng say the tiger came for Lin Qianyu. He reacted almost instantly.
He didn’t even finish typing. Looking at the tiger, it didn’t have the same aura of “here to smash things and beat Feng Jingye” like usual.
Professor Zhao’s gaze drifted to Lin Qianyu, then to Pei Feng, who kept gesturing in response.
Pei Feng nodded, confirming Professor Zhao’s guess.
“All personnel, do not engage with the black bear or leopard. Retreat slowly. They will not hurt anyone. Repeating: do not engage with the black bear or leopard. Stay away from the red-tailed forest eagle.”
“All personnel, attention...”
The broadcast speakers came on at this moment.
There was no time to carefully craft the message, so the staff in the broadcast room simply read Bo Shushu’s message out loud several times.
Lin Qianyu patted Kevin’s shoulder, then stepped around him and walked toward the tiger.
“Eh?! What are you doing!” Kevin cried out in alarm, reaching out to stop her—but before he even realized what happened, she had already sidestepped. His outstretched hand grasped nothing but air.
Lin Qianyu said, “Da Ju, don’t move!”
Kevin: “???”
What the heck?
The corridor was spacious for humans, but to a large tiger, obstacles were everywhere. A cart placed by the wall, glass jars filled with unidentified liquids—everything could get in the way of the tiger’s path forward.
The tiger had already placed a paw on the cart and was about to push it aside, but upon hearing Lin Qianyu’s command, its lifted paw visibly paused and stepped back half a pace.
Seizing the moment, Lin Qianyu pulled the cart away and used a deft motion to push it toward Pei Feng’s direction.
The cart’s wheels made a clack-clack sound as they rolled across the floor. The faint clinking of the glass bottles became the only noise in the otherwise silent hallway."Why did you come over?" Lin Qianyu reached out to stroke its fur. "Didn't I say I wasn't coming home tonight?"
The big tiger stepped back half a pace, wanting to sit down, but the corridor's height didn't allow it. It compromised by half-lying down and extended a paw toward Lin Qianyu.
Lin Qianyu raised her palm to meet it. "Have you eaten? Let's go down and find the others."
According to what Pei Feng had said earlier, all the furballs from home had probably come.
In this huge rescue center, aside from some staff who watched the livestream, many didn’t recognize them. If they weren’t seen for a while, there was the worry they might clash with personnel.
With the red-tailed forest eagle negotiating between sides and the black bear and leopard’s combat power, there shouldn’t be any danger. But if Lin Qianyu couldn’t see them, she wouldn’t feel at ease either.
She gently weighed the tiger’s paw and poked its paw pad with a bent fingertip. "Shall we go?"
The tiger sniffed at her, catching the scent on her body. The mist disinfectant used in the sterilization room didn’t linger long. And after spending time with the steppe wolf, Lin Qianyu now carried its scent too.
For the tiger, this was unfamiliar—because in its memory, it had never seen a steppe wolf before. Unfamiliarity meant strangeness.
“Roar—!”
"Good boy. The little wolf is sick. I came to keep it company." Lin Qianyu hugged the tiger’s paw, then turned to push the steppe wolf’s cart over—but before she could, the little wolf jumped down by itself, ignoring its injured leg, and pounced straight at the tiger.
"Awoo—!"
"Little Wolf?!" Lin Qianyu turned her back to the tiger and spread her arms to catch the wolf.
Bo Shushu, who had been holding the cart, reflexively let go to grab the steppe wolf—but deep inside, she still feared this fierce alpha, and hesitated. In that moment of delay, the wolf was already too far away.
The steppe wolf and the tiger—two animals from entirely different environments—would definitely get hurt if they fought.
Lin Qianyu decisively caught the wolf around the waist and hugged it tightly. It had leapt at the tiger, but that actually made it easier for her to grab.
She scooped the steppe wolf into her arms completely.
Its front paws rested on Lin Qianyu’s shoulders, hind legs barely touching the ground.
The steppe wolf was very light. After hugging so many furry creatures, Lin Qianyu could tell—this one was definitely on the skinny side.
Of course—how could it be heavy when it wouldn’t eat or rest?
Even so, its momentum still forced Lin Qianyu to stumble back half a step and bump into the tiger.
She gave its tail a pat, lifted and supported it, and said sternly to the wolf in her arms, "No fighting."
She held it like a baby—the only difference being that the steppe wolf was much larger than a baby.
Careful not to touch its injured leg, she adjusted her grip slightly.
The tiger and the steppe wolf bared their teeth at each other over her shoulder. Lin Qianyu raised her hand to block between them and repeated, "No fighting. Just get to know each other."
"Ha!"
"Roar!"
Lin Qianyu: "…"
Bullet comments: 【Hahaha, conflict mediation failed.】
【Meanwhile, the staff downstairs: Does anyone even remember we exist?】【@Feng Jingye, Island Master, come quick! We need you here!】
【Good heavens, you’ve got guts! You actually @-mentioned the Island Master so blatantly to come and get beaten up.】
Though the scene was tense, the livestream was full of laughter.
Most viewers in the livestream were longtime fans—not because there wasn’t enough popularity to attract new ones, but simply because new viewers and passersby couldn’t get in. Those who managed to squeeze in usually became regulars after a few episodes.
It seemed like everyone had come to accept one thing as a given:
As long as Lin Qianyu was there, nothing would go wrong.
“Alright, no more fighting, no more fighting. Let’s all go downstairs and look for Huahua and the others, okay?” The steppe wolf stood up, its full height even a bit taller than Lin Qianyu. The way she held it only worked because the wolf was well-behaved. Though it bared its teeth, it was actually very cooperative and didn’t struggle at all.
If the steppe wolf so much as kicked its legs, Lin Qianyu would have to let go.
The big tiger too, lay obediently on the ground. Aside from a low growl, it showed no intent to fight.
“Chirp!”
The red-tailed forest eagle flew in through the open glass window, instantly locking on to Lin Qianyu in the lobby, and without hesitation flapped its wings to land on her shoulder.
The leopard followed right after, leaping in through the window.
Lin Qianyu tilted her head and looked, “You climbed upstairs too?”
With the leopard’s skill at tree climbing, a mere two-story building—with so many extending platforms outside—was nothing. It could jump in with ease, even without a running start.
Lin Qianyu freed a hand to ruffle the leopard’s furry head. “You all came up. What about the little bear?”
“Woo…” The leopard lifted its head affectionately toward Lin Qianyu, but its eyes were fixed on the steppe wolf in her arms.
Kevin stood at the front of the crowd. He had already been amazed by Lin Qianyu’s interaction with the tiger. Then came the steppe wolf being calmed so easily, followed by the world-endangered forest eagle and the leopard—all of which left him completely stunned.
What on earth is going on?!!
His mind was stuck on just those four words.
Bo Shushu still had her phone in the livestream, but now that the action was happening right in front of them, who would bother watching a screen?
The staff crowding around to watch were all very excited.
After following the livestream for so long, they were finally seeing it in real life—how could anyone not be thrilled?
Kevin, utterly lost, started to think he must not have fully woken up yet. As he turned to talk to a colleague, he realized that none of them seemed surprised or confused at all. On the contrary, they were all squeezing forward to get a better view.
Kevin was even more baffled.
Just then, he felt something pushing him from behind.
Exasperated, Kevin said, “Stop pushing, I’m not going over there. There are so many animals up front—it’s too dangerous.”
He assumed it was some overly curious coworker desperate to get closer. With so many predators there, any one of them could kill you in an instant—and you still wanted to go?
But that colleague didn’t respond and kept shoving at him.
Kevin turned and said, “Stop pushing, it’s dangerous and you can’t—whoa?!”
His voice rose sharply at the end. There wasn’t any coworker behind him at all.
It was a strong black bear trying to push him aside with its paw to make a path for itself.“Roar——!”
The black bear was so close that Kevin could almost smell the blood on it.
That overwhelming pressure and intimidation felt suffocating.
As a newcomer who hadn’t been working long, Kevin had mostly interacted with a few temperate, captive-raised predators. He had never seen a truly wild black bear before.
For a moment, he didn’t even know how to react.
It was Pei Feng who responded swiftly, pulling the blocking Kevin out of the way.
With the path cleared, the black bear couldn’t be bothered with Kevin anymore. It ran off toward Lin Qianyu, whining softly as it ran.
The sound was sweet and even a little cute and cheerful—nothing like the ferocity it had just shown Kevin.
The round, chubby little bear’s fur bounced as it ran. It only noticed the steppe wolf in Lin Qianyu’s arms when it circled around. It paused in its tracks, tilted its head, and let out a puzzled, “Awo?”
“A new friend.” Lin Qianyu’s eyes curved with a smile as she held the steppe wolf’s paw and gestured for it to greet the others. “Come on, say hello.”
The fluffy ones all observed each other, but none of them bared their teeth or made any aggressive moves. Lin Qianyu silently breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as there’s no fighting, everything else is manageable.
They were all predators—each one had a fiery temper.
Holding the steppe wolf for so long had made her arms ache. Lin Qianyu hesitated and said, “Um, Pei Feng…”
“Stay the night,” Pei Feng said. “It’s already getting dark. It’s not safe to head back now.”
At that, he paused. Looking at the rainforest outside, then back at the predators gathered around Lin Qianyu, he suddenly found his own words a bit ridiculous.
Was it Lin Qianyu who wouldn’t be safe on the way back—or the animals she might run into who wouldn’t be safe if they crossed paths with her?
But for the steppe wolf’s sake, Pei Feng still forced himself to continue, “I’ll arrange a place for you to stay. Come with me.”
With so many animals around, it was no longer appropriate to stay in the steppe wolf’s room… Mainly because there wasn’t enough space.
If they were all crammed in together, someone might end up stepping on another’s tail, or roll over and scratch someone by accident. If a fight broke out, the consequences would be disastrous.
Lin Qianyu also couldn’t leave the steppe wolf alone, and she had already promised to stay with it tonight. Hearing Pei Feng say this, she nodded. “Alright.”
“Little Bear, Huahua, Big Orange, let’s go.” Lin Qianyu called the rest of the fluffballs and put the steppe wolf back into the stroller.
Holding it for too long might accidentally press against the wound.
After those few running steps earlier, the wound had already started bleeding again.
Continuing to hold it might only make things worse.
Kevin’s worldview had just been shattered, rebuilt, then crushed and ground into dust again. His brain now buzzed like a thousand hornets fighting for territory.
With so many animals around, some of the other staff wanted to follow, but none had the courage. If even one predator got upset with them for tagging along and suddenly bit them—they wouldn’t stand a chance.
As much as they wanted to follow, their survival instincts were stronger. They gave up, all pulling out their phones, walking back toward their offices while opening the livestream.
One staff member’s phone was still stuck in the livestream queue. He turned his head and cursed, “What the hell… I’ve been queuing all night and only moved up six spots!”
At this rate, I might get in by the time my great-grandkids are born.Kevin stared blankly. “What livestream?”
Bo Shushu pointed at her phone. “This one. The link Pei-ge sent in the group chat last time—you didn’t click it?”
Kevin honestly shook his head. “I thought it was one of those ‘slash for a red envelope’ things. Didn’t feel like signing up, so I skipped it.”
Bo Shushu: “...Check it out later. That’s your Sister Lin’s livestream.”
With that, she happily cradled her phone, which she hadn’t closed once, and turned to leave. “Oh right, aren’t you going to look for your daughter?”
After everything that had happened, Kevin finally snapped out of his daze and slapped his forehead. “Right! My daughter. Where did that weird Bengal cat go?”
He tried pulling open the door to the rest area where the Bengal cat was kept, but when he pushed the handle down and tugged, the door wouldn’t budge.
“…!” Kevin scratched his head in frustration. “For god’s sake! Why did you lock the door from the inside?!”
From inside came the Bengal cat’s irate roar: “Awoo!”
Scram!
Lin Qianyu followed Pei Feng upstairs.
The tiger was too large to fit in the elevator and could only take the stairs.
Pei Feng had clearly anticipated this, and led them up using the wider emergency stairwell.
“The fifth floor used to be where the tigers lived. You can stay here with them for now,” he explained as they ascended. “The fifth and sixth floors are connected by a staircase, like a duplex. These two floors aren’t open to the public.”
After all, these tigers had been raised at the rescue center since they were young—they had the best accommodations.
Pei Feng switched on the lights. “The steppe wolf area simulates a prairie environment; this one mimics a rainforest.”
There was no observation room on this floor. As such, the entire level hadn’t been divided into separate rooms and was even larger than the steppe wolf’s.
“The upstairs is similar. It’s mainly an extension of the tiger’s activity space. I won’t go in,” Pei Feng said from the doorway—if he had a little microphone clipped to his waist, he’d be a perfect tour guide.
“Same as before, contact me if anything happens.” Pei Feng didn’t forget to remind her, “There’s no surveillance here, so be careful.”
“No surveillance?” Lin Qianyu was surprised. “Then how do you normally monitor the tigers?”
“Tigers are very private. Several cameras were smashed before, and when we switched to pinhole ones, they started tearing down the walls. We just couldn’t install anything. Thankfully, tigers like going outside. They don’t destroy the exterior cameras. Besides, if one runs off…”
Pei Feng lowered his voice, avoiding the livestream camera, and said, “The veterans working here say that whenever a tiger goes missing, you can bet it went to the big boss’s room. It’s always trying to ambush the boss—works every time.”
“The rest area is on the top floor next door. To get there from here, you have to climb stairs for half an hour—it’s more than ten floors. I seriously don’t know how the little tiger even makes it up there.”
Lin Qianyu: “……”
【Hahaha confirmed—someone who will climb ten-plus floors over several hours just to throw hands.】
【Help, why is this so funny.】
【If this isn’t another form of deep affection, I don’t know what is.】
【Like I said, everything in the world is reciprocal. For example, Sister Lin is super attractive to predators. So naturally, there’s someone predators absolutely can’t stand. Isn’t that right, @Feng Jingye.】
...
Now they had a place more suitable to settle down.Lin Qianyu put the steppe wolf down. “Let’s just make do and spend the night here.”
“Da Ju, have you all eaten yet?” She reached back and patted the big tiger’s belly. Picky cats like this usually wouldn’t overeat, so you couldn’t tell just by feeling its belly.
She turned to feel the leopard and the black bear. “Looks like you’re full.”
Before leaving, she’d already left food for the fledgling birds and the little chevrotain. Now that the big furry ones were all here, the small snake at home could still take care of the young ones.
Lin Qianyu sat on the swing—it was probably made for two people, quite large. Since she was only sitting on one side, she couldn’t even reach the other chain.
“Little wolf, are you hungry? Want something to eat?” The steppe wolf had been a bit anorexic lately, so Lin Qianyu paid extra attention to its appetite and placed it on the swing with her.
The steppe wolf quietly lay on the swing.
As soon as it returned to this enclosed environment, the steppe wolf wanted to curl up in a corner—just like always.
Lin Qianyu was always decisive. She pressed one hand against the wolf’s belly and pulled it over directly, away from the corner—half of its body lay across her lap, the other half on the swing, with its tail drooping off the opposite side. The tail tip hung down, still a bit stiff.
Just like in the room earlier, Lin Qianyu gently ran her palm over its fur to soothe it. She grabbed some medicine and casually sprayed the bleeding wound. “I feel like, no matter how big the room is, to the steppe wolf, it’s still a cage.”
But its condition wasn’t good enough to move it to the prairie. If they kept it here in this closed-off space, its recovery would be very slow.
It would just create a closed loop.
As she stroked the wolf’s fur, Lin Qianyu thought about the feasibility of taking it to run in the rainforest.
But after all, the steppe wolf wasn’t a rainforest animal—who knew if it could adapt? If the space got bigger but the unfamiliar environment triggered stress, that would just be counterproductive.
Back in familiar territory, the big tiger didn’t lie on a rock like it usually did when returning home. Instead, it paced around the room, sniffing here and there, and in a flash, had run upstairs.
This environment might be unfamiliar to the smaller animals, but it carried the tiger’s scent. Since they were familiar with the tiger, they treated the place as part of its territory.
The leopard jumped onto the windowsill to look down at the square outside, where people could still be seen.
The red-tailed crested eagle liked high places and couldn’t stop glancing upward.
Noticing its frequent upward glances, Lin Qianyu gently stroked its feathers. “Want to go up and have a look? Da Ju is up there. You can go find Da Ju.”
“Chirp!”
The black bear wasn’t interested in exploring territory. After running all the way over, it was a bit tired and yawned as it leaned toward Lin Qianyu.
Not sure what it thought of, it opened its mouth slightly. “Woo!”
Hug.
“Huh?” Lin Qianyu was momentarily stunned. “The little wolf? Its leg is injured.”
The black bear, halfway toward her, lifted one of its hind legs. “Awo!”
Hurts.
Lin Qianyu couldn’t help laughing. “Your wound healed ages ago—how could it hurt now? And you injured the other leg.”
The last injury had already grown back a good bit of fur. From a distance, you couldn’t even tell it had ever been hurt.
The black bear had already forgotten which leg it had hurt.
“Woo…” Hearing her laugh and seeing that she wasn’t getting up to hug it, the little bear flopped onto the ground and let out a string of “awoo awoo” whines.【What?! Heaven has no eyes, utterly heartless—hard to believe it’s already 2023 and we’re still seeing zookeepers treating small animals unequally!】
【Exactly! The steppe wolf gets carried because its leg is hurt, but the black bear has to walk on its own? That’s bear discrimination!】
【Hahahaha damn, do you know how heavy your black bear is? Bear fans, get a grip.】
【Doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter! Equal treatment! If you carry one, you carry them all!】
A bunch of troublemakers just here for the drama.
Lin Qianyu sighed helplessly. “Alright, alright, I’ll carry it.”
The livestream comments immediately followed with: 【Both feet off the ground! If they don’t leave the ground, it doesn’t count!】
Lin Qianyu: “……”
She opened her watch and turned off the comment display.
Fans: 【???】
How is that fair!
Lin Qianyu patted the steppe wolf’s head and held out her hand to the black bear. “Come here, little bear.”
“Awo!” The black bear, who’d been limping a moment ago, suddenly charged over with the energy of a predator mid-hunt.
Lin Qianyu ruffled its ears. “I’m going to lift you now.”
The black bear lifted its head and rested it on Lin Qianyu’s shoulder.
Lin Qianyu spread her arms to hug the bear—though “hug” might be generous; her fingertips couldn’t even touch.
“Huff…” Lin Qianyu centered her breath, held it, and with all her strength, hoisted the black bear off the ground.
She actually managed to lift the bear clear off the ground by a whole… three to four centimeters.
Her cheeks turned faintly pink, purely from holding her breath. “Alright.”
By the time she released the black bear, Lin Qianyu’s arms were visibly trembling.
Black bears can weigh anywhere from 300 to 400 kilograms. Even without seeing the bear’s full size in person, judging from the footage where it’s next to humans, it was clear—this little bear was definitely a top-tier black bear.
Naturally, that meant it wasn’t small.
Most people in the livestream were just joking around. No one expected Lin Qianyu to actually lift the bear.
Even if it was just a few centimeters—probably less than what the bear could jump on its own—she had still literally lifted it with her own strength!
【Lin-jie is a beast!!!】
【What the hell—while we were joking around, Lin Qianyu went and actually did it.】
【Um… where’s Huahua? Curious who’s heavier, Huahua or the little bear.】
Lin Qianyu tugged at her clothes, fixing the collar that had been knocked askew. In the golden light of sunset, the leopard on the windowsill was bathed in a soft orange glow.
“Huahua.”
Hearing Lin Qianyu’s voice, the leopard turned its head from the windowsill. Though it didn’t know what was going on, it still jumped down and walked to her side.“Roar…”
“Hug time.” Lin Qianyu crouched down to meet the leopard’s gaze, her hand already gripping its foreleg. “Huahua should be lighter than the little bear.”
The leopard had a tiger-like build, but was clearly smaller.
Still, Huahua looked larger than most leopards—at least, Lin Qianyu felt it was bigger than the few that had teamed up to fight over territory last time they were in Huahua’s domain.
“Roar!”
She had tried hugging the leopard before, but only managed to hold its front paws—its body had stretched out, and its feet never left the ground.
This time, Lin Qianyu placed the leopard’s paws on her shoulders, reached out to support its tail, and hugged it tightly to her chest.
At first, the leopard didn’t know what she was doing and cooperated blankly. But the moment it was lifted off the ground, its ears flattened instantly.
Its fur bristled faintly, as if about to puff up.
Even so, the leopard didn’t extend its claws or struggle. It simply lay draped across Lin Qianyu’s shoulders, ears trembling.
Lin Qianyu turned her head and kissed its ear. “Good girl.”
The leopard paused, then leaned in and gave Lin Qianyu’s neck a lick.
After placing Huahua down on a soft mat, Lin Qianyu squeezed its paw pads. “Told you Huahua was light.”
“Woo.”
Just then, the big tiger poked its head down from upstairs.
Lin Qianyu stood up and turned—locking eyes with Big Ju.
“Roar—!”
【Hahaha, Big Ju: Lemme see.】
【Big Ju: Is it my turn now?】
【Hug! This one’s a must! She hugged the little bear, can’t skip Big Ju! No favoritism allowed.】
【Stop egging her on, there’s only one Lin Qianyu—I don’t want her collapsing (but also hurry up hurry up).】
…
When the black bear curled up, Lin Qianyu could just barely manage a try—but with the big tiger, seriously, her wrists weren’t even as thick as Big Ju’s forelegs.
She didn’t even know where to start grabbing.
In the end, Lin Qianyu just lay down with Big Ju, lifting a leg to drape over it. “There, hugged.”
Why wouldn’t a side hug count?
Big Ju, also lying on its side, lightly flicked its tail. You could tell it was in a good mood.
The livestream comments exploded with words like “half-hearted” and people shouting “Let me do it!”
But most were laughing—bringing a cheerful buzz to the entire stream.
Pei Feng returned and knocked on the door. “These should be prey the tigers brought back. I brought them all over for you.”
“Prey?” Lin Qianyu looked at the haul stacked on the flatbed cart—nearly half her height. “Why is there so much?”Pei Feng shrugged, now able to joke about these things with a relaxed tone, “Maybe they were afraid you wouldn’t eat well out there.”
Lin Qianyu laughed at that too. “Thanks for the trouble.”
“This one’s for the steppe wolf.” The wolf’s nutritional meal had been packed and delivered to her new resting room as well. “As for the milk powder, the nutritionist is preparing it. They’ll bring it over once it’s ready.”
“Okay.” Lin Qianyu’s eyes curved as she smiled. “It’s for Big Ju and the others, right?”
“Yeah.” Pei Feng tipped his chin. “Can’t play favorites now, can we?”
Lin Qianyu: “……”
Watching livestreams during work hours again.
Pei Feng left right after putting the stuff down. With so many eyes watching in that room, anyone who could last ten minutes under their gaze had to have nerves of steel.
There were too many prey animals—hauling them in one by one was exhausting, so Lin Qianyu simply pushed the flatbed cart inside, tilted it to one side, and dumped the prey in a heap. Whenever the animals got hungry, they could just walk over and take a few bites.
Lin Qianyu turned around and closed the door. “They’ve already eaten before coming here. With this much prey, they won’t need to go hunting tomorrow.”
In other words, the fluffballs had hunted twice their usual haul in a single day.
“Little Wolf, come eat.”
As usual, the steppe wolf showed no interest in food.
Lin Qianyu crushed the pills and mixed them in. She’d fed them too many treats lately—now, whenever she unwrapped anything, the little bear assumed it was sugar.
Sure enough, it came trotting over at the sound. “Awooo!”
“This one’s medicine.” Lin Qianyu had already dropped the pills into the milk. Medicine couldn’t be given out recklessly—some medications could have adverse effects on healthy animals.
She lifted the milk bowl high, keeping it out of reach of the black bear’s sniffing nose.
“Good boy, I’ll give you a treat later.” Lin Qianyu crushed the pill. Her backpack was still over in the observation room—she hadn’t brought it. If the black bear hadn’t come asking for sugar, she would’ve completely forgotten about it.
Remembering now, she sent a message to Pei Feng via her watch, asking him to bring her backpack along when they delivered the milk.
“Woo!” With Lin Qianyu’s promise in hand, the little bear cheerfully ran off to play on its own. As it passed the pile of prey, it sniffed a bit, then turned its head and chomped down on a deer leg.
Big Ju leaned against Lin Qianyu, uninterested in the meat mountain before him. He lazily pawed at a buffalo, occasionally taking a bite—not so much eating, more like snacking.
The leopard dragged a young deer onto the windowsill, while the red-tailed hawk stood on the black bear’s shoulder, pecking at the meat the bear had torn open.
For a moment, the only sounds in the room were chewing and swallowing.
Lin Qianyu stared at the sliced meat in the bowl, stirring the milk beneath her hand.
Her thoughts drifted somewhere else, and after a while, instead of taking the meat to the swing to find the steppe wolf, she turned and waved. “Little Wolf, come here.”
The steppe wolf glanced at her once, then turned its head away, clearly not planning to come.
“Little Wolf, Little Wolf, Little Wolf.” Since it wouldn’t come, Lin Qianyu just kept calling it. “Come on, I’ve got something tasty for you.”
“Little Wolf…”
The steppe wolf’s sides rose and fell with its breath, mouth slightly open, tail flicking with a bit more force than usual.
“Come on.” Lin Qianyu continued calling it over happily, “While it’s still fresh.”“Little Wolf——”
【Stop chanting, Shifu, please stop.】
【My head is now full of “Little Wolf.” Even the tightening spell from Journey to the West wasn’t this relentless.】
【Hahaha, she’s about to nag Little Wolf into puffing up.】
…
The repeated calling did have an effect.
Under Lin Qianyu’s enthusiastic calls, the steppe wolf leapt down from the swing and walked toward her, clearly exasperated.
In front of a mountain of meat, a plate of meat slices and a bowl of milk looked especially meager.
Since the steppe wolf didn’t eat much, the nutritionist's approach was small, frequent meals. If they prepared too much at once, and the steppe wolf didn’t finish it, it would go to waste.
So each serving was portioned exactly.
The plate alone looked fine, but when compared with the towering piles of prey, it was barely worth mentioning.
The steppe wolf wasn’t very hungry. It lowered its head and licked at the milk.
Rather than truly eating, it felt more like it was eating just to reassure Lin Qianyu.
Lin Qianyu picked out an alpaca without fur. It clearly wasn’t in this condition when it was caught—it must’ve been prepared this way by Pei Feng.
It had been completely skinned, without even a tear in the hide.
Since alpaca fur couldn’t be eaten and there were no tools in the room to remove it, Pei Feng had cleaned it up and delivered it already processed.
She didn’t feed it directly to the steppe wolf’s mouth—just dragged it a bit closer.
The alpaca’s thigh was nearly pressed right up against the milk bowl.
The steppe wolf only had to lower its head slightly to touch it.
Inside the room, all the predators had their heads down, eating.
The shredded meat carried the smell of blood; there was tearing, ripping, gnawing at flesh clinging to bone.
This was an entirely different experience compared to eating neatly sliced meat.
When Lin Qianyu prepared meat, unless it was for herself and meant for grilling, which she would intentionally cut into smaller pieces, the portions for the fluffballs were always cut larger.
It felt more satisfying to eat that way.
The steppe wolf’s meat had been processed and soaked; upon closer smell, there was a faint trace of milk.
Though disinfected and soaked to sterilize, the meat—while still bloody and extremely fresh—was very different from the freshly caught prey.
The steppe wolf had already been occasionally licking the milk. Now, sniffing the air thick with blood, its gaze unconsciously settled on the alpaca that was right in front of it.
Gradually, the steppe wolf stopped moving. More than half the milk still remained in the bowl. Its breathing began to shift.
Lin Qianyu was almost pressed right up against the steppe wolf, and could feel the pounding of its heartbeat.
A strong, thudding rhythm of life pulsing within its chest.
She waited a moment—then suddenly reached out and yanked the alpaca with a quick pull.Almost at the same moment Lin Qianyu moved, the steppe wolf lunged forward and bit down on the alpaca's thigh, its sharp canines piercing the skin in an instant.
As the prey’s blood slowly entered its mouth, the steppe wolf narrowed its eyes.
Lin Qianyu curved her lips slightly and rested her hand on the back of its neck, stroking gently over and over. “Good boy, eat slowly.”
...
Without the observation room, the staff scattered throughout the area were all glued to their phones watching the livestream.
Professor Zhao didn’t know how to operate these gadgets, so he squeezed in beside Pei Feng to watch.
Seeing this scene, Pei Feng asked in confusion, “What’s the reason for this? We’ve prepared live ones, dead ones, ones with bones, ones deboned, freshly slaughtered, even alpaca meat—it wouldn’t eat any of that. Why does it eat what Lin Qianyu gives it?”
Professor Zhao hesitated for a moment and replied, “Maybe it’s the environment? Wolves are inherently social animals. Although tigers, leopards, and the others aren’t part of its pack, this temporary harmony and calm may have allowed it to let down its guard. The other animals were eating, so it was pulled into a hunting mindset. When Lin Qianyu tugged the alpaca, it bit down instinctively.”
Maybe that was the case. Pei Feng couldn’t guess anything further.
At the root of it, the steppe wolf’s stereotypic behavior stemmed from two things: environment and loneliness.
Lin Qianyu now fulfilled both conditions. Perhaps the wolf had been unknowingly drawn in and triggered the instincts long suppressed deep within.
Speaking of which, Professor Zhao paused, then said, “You still haven’t told me what’s going on with the tiger, leopard, black bear, and that red-tailed imperial eagle. Why are they all sticking so closely to Lin Qianyu?”
It wasn’t something that could be explained in a few words. Pei Feng simply opened the livestream replay on his phone and scrolled to the first episode. “Professor, you’ll understand after watching this.”
When handing over the phone, Pei Feng added, “Also, don’t exit the livestream room after watching—it’s really hard to get back in.”
Professor Zhao waved a hand dismissively. Seeing Pei Feng stand up, he asked, “Where are you going?”
Pei Feng said, “The milk formula should be ready. I’m going to deliver it to Miss Lin.”
Professor Zhao nodded. “Alright, go on. Take some extra snacks or something and bring them along too.”
Pei Feng responded affirmatively and left with the items.
—Inside the room.
The steppe wolf tore off a piece of alpaca leg meat and chewed it slowly, blood streaked through it, but its eyes were bright.
It was like it was doing something interesting. At the very least, from its eyes, the steppe wolf looked genuinely happy.
Before the meat in the room was finished, Pei Feng brought in the milk.
Lin Qianyu set the snacks aside first and poured out the milk to share with them.
“Here, it’s formula mixed by a professional nutritionist. Smells really nice.” Lin Qianyu placed the milk bowls and called them over to drink once they were full.
As for water, Lin Qianyu had heard the sound of flowing water upstairs earlier, so there was a water source prepared. They could go up and drink when they were thirsty.
Compared to the meat, Huahua and Da Ju were clearly more interested in the milk—perhaps they were too full to eat more, so they abandoned the mountain of meat and came over.
As for the black bear, although it had already finished eating, it didn’t rush over.
Lin Qianyu tapped the edge of the round bowl lightly with her fingertip. “Little Bear? Not drinking?”
The black bear patted the floor with its paw. “Awoo!”
Wants it!“What do you want? This?” Lin Qianyu pushed the bowl over.
The little bear didn’t even glance at it and let out another sound: “Mmm…”
More.
Lin Qianyu paused for a moment, then smiled helplessly. “What I just added to the milk was medicine. You can’t have it.”
“Mmm!” The little bear flopped onto the ground and rolled around pitifully.
“Alright, alright, more, more, more.” Lin Qianyu grabbed its paw and brought its soft pad over.
Right in front of the little bear, she tossed a piece of candy into the milk.
It definitely couldn’t be actual medicine, so she substituted with candy.
“All done—come have a taste.”
The black bear licked its lips. “Awooo…”
Stir.
Seeing it earnestly using its paw to mimic the way she stirred milk powder, Lin Qianyu couldn’t help but laugh.
Too cute.
“Here, stir it.” Lin Qianyu deliberately got up to fetch a pair of chopsticks, and even poked at the candy twice—just like how she had crushed the medicine tablet earlier.
Candy didn’t dissolve as easily as the pill, but pressing it like that caused some tiny shards to break off and quickly melt into the warm milk.
Milk made from fruit candy and plain formula had a much stronger sweetness.
Exactly the flavor the black bear liked.
“Now it’s ready.” Lin Qianyu handed over the evenly stirred milk again.
The black bear happily lowered its head and took a sip. Its ears twitched, and when it looked up again, its big round black eyes were full of a dopey smile. “Mmm!”
Sweet!
【!!!】
【Aaaaaah little baby bear! Exploding with cuteness aaaaaah!】
Author's Note: Goodnight, sleep early, love you all.