Chapter 43

Chapter 43

The grassland wolf lifted its chin slightly, eyes firm: “Awoo!”

Lin Qianyu sucked on a piece of candy, stood up, and stretched her arms. “Let them eat first. Let’s go upstairs and take a look.”

She had heard the sound of water just now and was a bit curious about the upstairs decor.

The staircase railings and steps were covered in vines and grass, almost completely concealing the structure.

Aside from the uneven steps, it was impossible to tell what the original stairs looked like.

Lin Qianyu ducked her head to avoid the drooping willow branches, casually brushing them aside. When she saw the scene upstairs, she felt a sudden sense of openness.

The walls were designed similarly to the grassland wolf’s room. The difference was that one resembled a boundless grassland, while the other looked like a lush rainforest.

There was also water, seamlessly integrated into the wall decor. It looked like water without a source—neither its beginning nor end was in the room.

Lin Qianyu rubbed her fingertips over a leaf. “These are real.”

Not fake leaves, not plastic ones.

And there wasn’t even any dust on the leaves.

Even if the tiger didn’t come over to this side, it seemed someone was still assigned to keep it clean.

There was even moss growing on the stones by the water.

What set it apart from a real rainforest was the absence of the smell of decaying animal corpses and the ever-present poisonous insects, snakes, and ants.

【Wow!!! So beautiful!】

【I love the style of this room. Now please leave, this is my room now.】

【Big Orange: ? What nonsense are you saying, kid.】

Out of the corner of her eye, Lin Qianyu noticed something moving. She leaned in and saw it was a butterfly slowly flapping its wings atop a wildflower. She raised an eyebrow. “There are even butterflies here.”

If it was here, it must have been raised by the rescue center.

“It’s a Ulysses butterfly.”

Sensing Lin Qianyu’s approach, the butterfly didn’t flee. Instead, it flapped its wings and flew toward her.

It was probably used to humans coming and going in this space, so it wasn’t afraid at all.

Lin Qianyu extended her hand, and the deep blue butterfly landed on her fingertip, folding its wings. Light filtered through the leaves and shone onto the wings, making the blue shimmer brightly.

The edges of the butterfly’s wings looked like they were outlined with ink, the pigment bleeding inward like a watercolor painting.

“The Ulysses butterfly is also called the rainforest god of luck.” Lin Qianyu raised her other hand to block the light and cleverly adjusted the angle. Under the camera, what had looked like solid-colored wings now revealed mottled green hues—more like fractured colors near the top edges of the wings.

“This butterfly is pretty unique. Like Big Orange, it’s probably not a species you’d find in the wild.”

Lin Qianyu lifted her hand slightly, and the butterfly flew off her fingertip. It circled in the air but didn’t land back on the flower.

After looping around the upper floor, Lin Qianyu was about to head back down when she heard a sound at the door.

At first, she thought someone was knocking downstairs, but upon listening more closely, the knocking was quite near—it didn’t sound like it came from below.

Since the upstairs was covered in plants everywhere, Lin Qianyu followed the sound until she discovered a door hidden behind a tree, wrapped entirely in interwoven willow branches.As soon as the door opened, it was a familiar face. “Kaiwen?”

“Hi!” Kaiwen’s face was smudged with dirt, and his hair was messy. Compared to his noble and refined appearance when they first met, he now looked more like a street tramp.

“Pei said you were here, so I came specifically to find you.”

The room had two levels. When he came up, Pei Feng had specifically told him to go to the upper floor— all the beasts were on the lower one.

Kaiwen had only ever interacted with familiar lions and tigers. He didn’t dare mess with temperamental and unfamiliar wild predators.

So, after confirming with Pei Feng that there were no beasts around Lin Qianyu at the moment, he came upstairs.

He hadn’t even bothered to tidy himself up. Kaiwen, beaming with joy, held the rusty-spotted cat in his arms and said, “Look! I found my daughter.”

Although the process was full of twists and turns, with the help of another rusty-spotted cat, all Kaiwen had to do was follow behind—listening to it scold him in a language he couldn’t understand—and hurry up to keep pace.

“Congratulations.” Lin Qianyu looked at this rusty-spotted cat, which really did look identical to the one that had been mistakenly captured. Not even siblings from the same litter could look this similar.

She honestly didn’t know whether to say Kaiwen was lucky or unlucky—he managed to encounter something with such low odds.

“It's all thanks to you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even have known my daughter was out there wandering.” Kaiwen stroked the cat’s head, feeling a chill of fear just thinking about it.

Rusty-spotted cats raised in captivity had no hunting skills. They weren’t considered predators to begin with. Out in the wild, at best they could rummage through garbage bins and barely find anything to eat.

But in a rainforest full of danger, even catching a single bird was a struggle for them.

Kaiwen had only been out with his daughter for a few days, and she had already lost a significant amount of weight. If there hadn’t been a water source in the mountains, she might’ve died of thirst.

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

“Pei told me you were here, so I came especially to thank you.” Kaiwen hesitated a little, then handed over a card. “I don’t know what you might need, and you’re so capable… I felt like I didn’t have anything worthy to give you. There’s some money on this card, so… I hope you won’t mind.”

Looking at Kaiwen’s face, it was written all over him: I really want to thank you, but if I give you a card, you might misunderstand, and I don’t know what else to give—after thinking long and hard, this card is all I’ve got.

His entire thought process was plain to see.

Lin Qianyu smiled and pushed the card back. “No need, you keep it. I really don’t need anything. We’ll be colleagues from now on, and helping each other out is just what colleagues do.”

“Then… if you ever need anything in the future, come find me.” Kaiwen said earnestly, “I’ll carry out any task you give me seriously.”

Lin Qianyu figured if she didn’t agree, Kaiwen would keep struggling to find some other way to repay her, so she simply said, “Alright.”

Even though the card wasn’t accepted, there would be plenty of chances to repay the favor in the future.

Besides, just giving a few hundred million for something this major seemed a little cheap. He figured he’d need to put more thought into it.

……

After closing the door, Lin Qianyu turned around and bumped into something furry in the corner.

“Wuu?”

She reached out and rubbed the black bear’s ear. “When did you come upstairs?”

“Awoo!” The little bear lifted its head, the fur on its chin soaked with milk—like a half-circle milk mustache. The fur was all dirty, but it had no idea and just looked up grinning.

A naturally cheerful black bear.

Lin Qianyu smiled with her eyes and reached into her pocket, trying to find a tissue or something she could use to clean it up.But her pocket was completely empty—nothing inside.

Just then, without anyone noticing, the Ulysses butterfly fluttered over. Its wings skimmed through the air and landed right on the little bear’s nose, perfectly centered.

The still-smiling black bear froze, blinked, and cluelessly raised its paw to swat at it a couple of times but couldn’t reach the butterfly.

The smile on Lin Qianyu’s face deepened as she grabbed the livestream device and pointed it at the bear, manually focusing the shot. “Quick, screenshot it.”

【Screenshotting, screenshotting!】

【I’m smacking my screen so hard trying to get every frame—who knows how many I’ve taken by now. I just kept tapping like crazy.】

【Wuwuwu! My little bear baby is so cute. I really want to bite its fluffy head and hug it tight to squish and roll around with it.】

……

When Lin Qianyu first came here, she only planned not to return to the cave that night and hadn’t expected her fluffballs at home to come looking for her.

So she didn’t bring the little bear’s scarf. If he had worn it while drinking milk, it wouldn’t have gotten all over him.

Leading the way downstairs, Lin Qianyu said, “Let’s go. There are tissues downstairs. I’ll wipe you off.”

“Wuu!”

The little bear called out once, and the butterfly on its nose flew away on its own.

It licked its nose but didn’t bother chasing the butterfly. A few steps later, it caught up to Lin Qianyu and followed her downstairs.

Downstairs.

The well-fed feline beasts had each found a place to sprawl out.

They lounged lazily like fuzzy blankets, grooming their fur.

The empty milk bowls were stacked and left at the door for the staff member in charge of kitchenware to handle.

There was a bit of blood at the corner of the grassland wolf’s mouth that hadn’t been licked clean. It had dried by now and clung to the fur, making it look like an injury at first glance. But the wolf’s eyes didn’t show any signs of fatigue—just a steady gaze fixed on a point in space, as if deep in thought about something.

Lin Qianyu wiped the little bear’s chest fur clean, tossed the used tissue, took a new one, dampened it, and sat down beside the grassland wolf. She wrapped the wet tissue around her fingertip and gently dabbed at the dried blood on the wolf’s mouth.

It wasn’t an injury, but Lin Qianyu still used a feather-light touch, as if handling a delicate treasure.

The tissue was wet, and some moisture inevitably soaked into the surrounding fur. The grassland wolf licked at it, then turned its head and rested its face on Lin Qianyu’s thigh.

Lin Qianyu chuckled softly and placed her hand on the side of the wolf’s face to knead gently. “Don’t want your mouth wiped?”

The grassland wolf opened its mouth slightly and pawed at Lin Qianyu’s wrist, but didn’t apply any real force. Instead, it buried its head in her abdomen.

Lin Qianyu interpreted this gesture as the wolf acting spoiled.

Even if it wasn’t, it was at least an affectionate touch.

While checking on the wolf’s wound, she noticed its current expression and mood—visibly more relaxed than before.

She stroked its fur, thinking things were heading in a good direction.

At night, they slept in the room.

The swing was very large, and Lin Qianyu could lie on it fully stretched out.She had no doubt that this thing called a swing could even support a tiger lying on it.

She used her backpack as a cushion and slept on the swing for the night.

Even without a sleeping bag, she still slept soundly.

When Lin Qianyu groggily opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the grassland wolf beside her staring pitifully at her. Her brain was still a bit sluggish, so upon seeing the fluff, she instinctively reached out, pulled it into a hug, and kissed it on the forehead.

The grassland wolf’s ears folded back slightly, and the next second, its eyes suddenly widened.

But the half-asleep Lin Qianyu didn’t notice anything at all. As she fumbled around, trying to pull it into her arms as a pillow, the grassland wolf beside her suddenly disappeared.

The swing wasn’t very high, but the moment it hit the ground, it still made a dull thud.

It was a soft sound, but Lin Qianyu instantly sobered up. She propped herself up and leaned over the edge of the swing, “Little wolf?”

The length of the swing was enough to fit a person, but its width wasn’t that generous.

While Lin Qianyu lay flat, the grassland wolf had squeezed into the narrow space along the edge to lie down. The moment it rolled over, it slipped right off.

Fortunately, the ground was covered in thick grass, so the fall wasn’t a big deal.

The grassland wolf, however, still seemed a bit dazed, probably not fully realizing how it had ended up down there.

Lin Qianyu reached down to scoop the wolf back up, scooted inward to make space for it, and the red-tailed crested eagle fluffed its feathers and chirped, “Chirp!”

“Going hunting? Isn’t it a little too early?” Lin Qianyu, who had been about to lie back down, sat up again when she heard the sound. “We still have plenty of meat at home. Let’s take a break today and enjoy some sunshine.”

There wasn’t just plenty of meat left—it was enough to feed all the fluffballs lazily for another whole day without needing to hunt.

The rescue center also delivered pre-mixed formula on schedule, so food was never a problem.

Plus, there was an ice cellar here; any leftover meat could easily be frozen or refrigerated.

The fluffballs at home weren’t picky. None of them had to eat only freshly hunted prey. The big orange cat just had a preference for organ meat, but didn’t care much about freshness.

Back in the cave, they had to hunt daily simply because there was too much meat to eat at once and no way to preserve it.

The red-tailed crested eagle rubbed up against Lin Qianyu’s side affectionately. “Chirp-chirp!”

“Alright then.” Lin Qianyu patted the little feathery head and said, “Be careful.”

The eagle proudly raised its chin and let out a call.

Lin Qianyu turned around to help open the door for it, but then saw the big orange cat skillfully pressing down the doorknob. Due to the door lock’s unique structure, it had to twist it up and down twice before finally unlocking it.

Judging from how skilled it was, this clearly wasn’t the first time Big Orange had opened this door.

【???】

【Good grief, I got locked in and stared at that door until my head hurt. Big Orange just casually opened it like it’s nothing!?】

【Watching this livestream, why do I feel like even the little bear is smarter than me.】

【Little Bear: ? You better sleep with one eye open tonight.】

……

“What’s the little wolf looking at?”Lin Qianyu’s sudden approach made the grassland wolf’s body stiffen. It obediently lay on its paws, staring unblinkingly at the door.

The last glimpse of the leopard’s tail disappeared at the doorway, yet the wolf still hadn’t snapped out of it.

“They went out hunting,” Lin Qianyu said as she spread her arms across its back, scratching under its chin and rubbing its ears to shift the grassland wolf’s attention. “Little wolf, do you want to go too?”

The grassland wolf didn’t respond, but it probably did want to go.

Even in an unfamiliar, unfamiliar and foreign environment, it still wanted to go out and see the world.

After being shut in a square room for too long, it had gradually lost the desire to go outside—but now, the thought of venturing out began to take root again.

“But you’re injured right now.” Lin Qianyu gestured toward the injury on its hind leg. “Once you’re better, I’ll take you out to have a look, how about that?”

Although the rainforest wasn’t suitable for a grassland wolf, just going out to unwind and personally catching some prey to vent emotions would help.

Leaving that confined space and going out into a wider world was the best thing for the grassland wolf.

After Lin Qianyu finished speaking, there was still no reply. Just when she thought the grassland wolf wasn’t going to respond, it let out a low sound: “Whine…”

All the fluffballs had gone hunting.

With nothing to do indoors, Lin Qianyu simply set up the cart again to take the grassland wolf on a tour around the rescue center.

As soon as she finished unfolding and securing the support bars beneath the cart, the grassland wolf jumped up on its own. It even consciously avoided using its injured leg, lying on its side with the wound facing outward.

In the past, the grassland wolf would have instinctively hidden its wounds, pressing the bloody gash against the side where no one could see it.

Lin Qianyu naturally didn’t miss this small detail. She reached over and pushed the cushion aside to avoid contact with the injury.

Fresh medicine had been sprayed on the wound. The blanket shed hair, and if it stuck to the wound, they’d have to clean it all over again.

The rescue center was quite large.

Pei Feng had given Lin Qianyu access permissions, so she could freely go in and out of the areas open for visitation.

There were quite a lot of small animals at the rescue center.

Aside from custom-made rooms for the larger predators, the other enclosures for small animals were also designed with care.

The ninth floor housed the most animals.

Lin Qianyu walked down the corridor, and in some of the compartments, she could see staff in lab coats busy at work.

The soundproofing here was pretty good, but the farther she walked, the more obvious the random thud thud noise became—a rhythm-less pounding sound.

Passing by the koala room, where the animal was sleeping on a tree, Lin Qianyu finally found the source of the noise.

The koala shared a wall with the monkeys. All that sound came from a monkey banging a rock against the glass.

Lin Qianyu had no idea what was going on with that monkey, and didn’t plan to linger. She pushed the grassland wolf’s cart, planning to head upstairs.

However, seeing someone approach, the monkey inside began pounding the glass faster and faster, though the glass didn’t budge at all.

Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow. “This glass is really good quality.”

The monkey bared its teeth at her through the glass, its eyes glaring fiercely.

Even though she was just passing by, Lin Qianyu had no doubt that if the glass shattered, the monkey would rush out without hesitation and attack.【Hiss... all things have spirits, except for this stinking monkey.】

【Truly, appearance reflects the heart—just looking at it is annoying. It’s also a monkey, but golden snub-nosed monkeys are cute, well-behaved, and fluffy.】

【Ugly thing, baring your teeth at Lin-jie again? I hope Huahua bites you to death!】

Huahua had eaten a monkey once on camera during a livestream—crunchy and crisp.

The monkey in the room pounded away for ages, and when it couldn’t hit anyone, it threw the rock out in a rage.

But as soon as the rock hit the glass, because it was too close, it bounced back and hit its own head.

Struck hard in the face, the monkey let out a wail and collapsed.

It flailed around, jumping up and down while shrieking nonstop.

Lin Qianyu: “…”

She was just standing there, not moving at all—and the monkey gave itself a beating.

Impressive, really.

The moment something unusual happened with the monkey, staff rushed over to stop the bleeding, apply medicine, and bandage it up.

Pei Feng wasn’t in charge of this area, but knowing Lin Qianyu was here, he came over after finishing his own tasks. “Miss Lin, that monkey has a bad temper. It didn’t hurt you, did it?”

Lin Qianyu shook her head, then turned to ask Pei Feng, “That monkey doesn’t seem to have any issues—why not release it back into the wild?”

“We’ve tried. We let it go, but it ran back here on its own and refuses to leave,” Pei Feng said, rubbing his temples, clearly not fond of the monkey but stuck having to care for it.

Pei Feng explained, “Animal psychology experts believe it might be because it’s been neighbors with the koala for a long time, and they’re close. Releasing it would separate it from its friend, so we’re keeping it for now, planning to let it go once the koala recovers.”

Lin Qianyu paused, then said with a speechless laugh, “Friends? That koala’s nearly depressed from being cursed at all the time by this monkey. It’s just freeloading here. If anything, letting it go sooner would be better for the koala.”

The monkey coming back had nothing to do with the koala.

If there was any “connection,” it was that it had nothing better to do and enjoyed bullying the slow-thinking koala.

Pei Feng: “???”

Comments: 【…!】

【I was almost crying over the thought of giving up freedom for friendship, and then Lin-jie hit me with that one line and completely wrecked me.】

【First of all, I 100% believe what Lin-jie said. Secondly... which animal psychology expert came up with that? Please give me their name—I just want to talk.】

Pei Feng said seriously, “Got it. I’ll arrange for its release.”

Knowing that the monkey had come back a few times before, Lin Qianyu even offered a suggestion: “Send it to Huahua’s territory. There are other monkeys over there, and it’s far enough away—it shouldn’t make its way back again.”

“Alright.” Pei Feng dialed a string of numbers, and as he waited for the call to connect, he muttered unhappily, “No wonder the koala’s been so gloomy and barely eating—I thought it was sick. Turns out it’s this monkey’s fault.”

Pei Feng had full faith in what Lin Qianyu said.

It made sense. Who could stay in a good mood with a monkey cursing in their ear all day?

As the staff dragged the monkey out, it screeched even louder, the sound sharp and grating.

Lin Qianyu frowned slightly. The grassland wolf, which had been quietly resting on the cart like it was in a world of its own, suddenly let out a long howl—“Awooo—!”In an instant, the monkey’s screeching stopped.

As if someone had grabbed its throat, even the tail end of its scream turned into a breathy choke, stuck in its throat.

Easily suppressing the irritable monkey, the grassland wolf lay back down again, completely uninterested—didn’t even spare that stinking monkey a glance.

From behind, Lin Qianyu gave the fluffy wolf tail a gentle stroke.

The grassland wolf glanced back at her. Lin Qianyu curled the tip of the little wolf’s tail in her fingers and shook it gently, her eyes full of amusement as she looked at it.

The tail was a visible indicator of the grassland wolf’s emotions. Like now, even though it appeared calm and indifferent, the tip of its tail—held by Lin Qianyu—was still trying its best to wag.

Lin Qianyu lightly held the little wolf’s tail and wagged along with it.

As the staff dragged the monkey away, Pei Feng was still saying, “Send it out right away. We’ll file the report in the afternoon.”

He paused, then added, “Include both the expert’s opinion and Miss Lin’s comments.”

The rescue center did everything by the book—releasing animals required reports and formal applications.

But knowing what that monkey had done, Pei Feng didn’t want to keep it even a minute longer. If he didn’t have other responsibilities at the center, he’d have personally hauled it off and tossed it straight into the leopard’s territory.

“That monkey was picked up with a broken leg. Freeloading is one thing, but to think it even bullies other animals…” Pei Feng stood with hands on hips. “Truly vile.”

As the monkey was carried away, the koala next door, which had been lying quietly on the eucalyptus tree, suddenly lifted its head, its gaze fixed on the departing staff.

Once the monkey was out of sight, the koala quickly climbed down and pressed itself against the glass, peering out hard.

Pei Feng noticed and pulled a wry smile. “It did the same thing last time we sent the monkey away. Which further confirmed the expert’s theory about their ‘friendship.’”

But based on what Lin Qianyu said, the koala’s reaction probably meant it was thrilled the monkey was finally gone—and just wanted to make sure it really got taken away.

Pei Feng was left both angry and speechless.

That damn monkey.

And that nonsense-spouting professor.

He’d have to emphasize all of that clearly in the report.

Knock knock—Lin Qianyu tapped twice on the glass. Once she had the koala’s attention, she spoke into the room’s microphone, “Don’t worry. It won’t be coming back.”

The koala froze for a moment, stretched its head upward with effort, opened its mouth—it probably tried to call out, but unfortunately, it wasn’t facing the mic correctly, so no sound came through.

That microphone was meant for staff communication. The soundproofing was excellent, so anyone outside who needed to speak had to come in—and going through disinfection was too much trouble.

With the mic, they could just speak into it directly to communicate.

The koala clearly didn’t know how to use it.

But that wasn’t a big problem.

After hearing Lin Qianyu’s words and confirming that the monkey was truly gone, the koala visibly perked up.

It turned around and scampered up the tree, skipping its nap entirely. It grabbed eucalyptus leaves and began munching away. Even through the glass, its happiness was obvious.

Pei Feng: “…”

At this point, there was no need to verify whether what Lin Qianyu said about the monkey was true or not.Just seeing the koala look like it wanted to light firecrackers in celebration—it must’ve suffered a lot at the hands of that stinking monkey.

【Poor little koala. Just imagining having that thing as a neighbor gives me a headache.】

【Thank goodness for Lin-jie! Otherwise, who knows how much longer the koala would’ve had to endure this.】

【The monkey was kept because the koala wasn’t doing well. But if the koala never gets better, the monkey stays. And with the monkey around, the koala definitely won’t get better...】

【Hahaha stop, if you keep calculating this, it’s gonna turn into a lifelong issue.】

The rescue center wasn’t short on food for two little animals, so honestly, they might’ve just kept feeding them forever.

And the worst part was, the monkey kept “enthusiastically” talking to the koala—who would’ve thought it was actually cursing at it?

Even if someone did guess that, no one would believe it if they said it out loud.

It was only because Lin Qianyu said it. If it had been anyone else, Pei Feng would’ve hesitated before deciding whether to send the monkey away.

“Miss Lin, speaking of which… we have two more animals here that are really strange. They fight whenever they’re together, and when separated, they cry nonstop, go on hunger strikes, and slam into doors.”

Lin Qianyu: “What’s the reason?”

“I don’t know either. But when we rescued them, the sugar glider was biting the kinkajou and wouldn’t let go. We thought they had fallen from a tree while fighting, so we brought them back to care for them.”

Pei Feng had been taking care of these two himself. Everyone thought it was strange but couldn’t figure it out. “The kinkajou and sugar glider aren’t very big, but they argue like crazy—one word after another—and they occasionally bite each other too. It’s not bloody, so it’s not serious.”

“But the last time we separated them, the sugar glider broke its leg. So we had to put them back together again. And still, they won’t stop quarreling.”

“Miss Lin, could you help mediate? See why they’re always at each other’s throats?”

Lin Qianyu was also curious, and nodded. “Let’s go see. Which floor?”

“Just upstairs, this way.” Pei Feng tossed his notebook to a nearby staff member and led Lin Qianyu toward the elevator.

At the rescue center, animal rooms were arranged by size.

The higher the floor, the smaller the animals—except the tiger, who had a special room.

Upstairs.

Pei Feng pointed to a nearby glass wall. “Look, they’re still fighting.”

The kinkajou and sugar glider were similarly colored—both a pale golden hue, though the sugar glider was a bit lighter.

Right now, the two were practically tangled up together—you bite me, I bite you, neither letting go. While they bit and screamed, both looked full of fierce energy, like they were yelling at each other.

“See? They’re really going at it,” said Pei Feng. He couldn’t understand what they were saying, but from the energy alone, it definitely didn’t look playful.

“They’re just playing,” Lin Qianyu cracked the door open a bit to listen. She didn’t hear anything that sounded like real fighting. “It’s not even half as harsh as what that monkey was saying. If I had to translate it, the kinkajou is saying: ‘Bite you, bite you.’ The sugar glider: ‘Hmph, doesn’t hurt.’”

【…Why does that sound like flirting?】

【Don’t doubt it, sisters—it is flirting!】

【So these two besties were just messing around, and humans thought they were fighting. Got separated from their best friend, then started banging their heads against the wall?】

【Help, this is too funny. But I swear it does look like a fight.】

Pei Feng sighed, eyes vacant. “So when we first found them, they probably weren’t even injured by other animals?”“I’ll ask them,” Lin Qianyu said. She wasn’t there at the time and didn’t know the exact situation, but sometimes, what animals experience is different from what humans perceive.

She opened the door a bit wider but didn’t go in since she hadn’t disinfected. “Excuse me, can I ask you two a few questions?”

The two little ones inside had already noticed the door opening and immediately bit down on each other again.

“I’m not here to separate you,” Lin Qianyu said with a smile. “No need to bite so tightly.”

The kinkajou blinked, looking a bit disbelieving, and pawed at its own ear. The little golden puffball hunched over, with its pair of round black eyes staring in a daze, let out a startled “Ah!”

“There’s been a bit of a misunderstanding,” Lin Qianyu explained seriously. “They separated you because they thought you were fighting and were worried you might hurt each other—not because they wanted to break you up on purpose... So you two were just playing around? You weren’t hurt by other animals?”

By the end of her sentence, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

【Kinkajou: Is this human sick in the head? Dragged me and my best friend away and locked us up separately. We were holding onto each other biting so hard, and humans still tried to separate us!】

【Hahahaha—same situation, from the human side it’s a touching story, but from the animal side: are you nuts???】

【Guys, who can relate? The animal kingdom now has human cops. Got arrested for play-fighting with your buddy.】

…

One misunderstanding after another.

So many coincidences stacked up that it somehow became a barely logical outcome.

Lin Qianyu held back her laughter, chatted with the kinkajou a bit more, then turned around and said, “Confirmed. They’re actually very good friends and didn’t hurt each other—just fooling around. Just take care of them for now. Once the leg’s healed, they can be released.”

Pei Feng took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Understood.”

“When you play around, go a bit easier, okay? No more drawing blood.” Lin Qianyu handed them two pieces of candy. “Once you’re all better, we’ll send you back.”

The kinkajou ran over and hugged the candy with both paws. “Ah!” Then it turned around and scurried back to share it with the sugar glider.

That made things perfectly clear—they were just two close little buddies.

“All right.” With the matter resolved, Lin Qianyu closed the door and reassured Pei Feng, “You don’t have to worry anymore. They probably won’t bite each other again.”

The misunderstanding was understandable—they weren’t the same species. Even if not hostile, seeing them tangled up, biting, and yelling the moment they saw each other… it was easy to assume there was animosity.

Pei Feng said, “How much longer is your variety show? You can come intern first, and we’ll treat you like a regular employee in terms of pay and benefits.”

The sudden shift in topic caught Lin Qianyu off guard for a moment.

“Should be… two or three days left?” She hadn’t checked the time. When Pei Feng suddenly asked, she glanced at her watch and realized the countdown had already started.

“There are two days left,” Lin Qianyu said.

Pei Feng nodded. “Okay, I’ll apply for a dorm for you. Just let me know when you’re ready to start.”

“No rush. This is just the end of the first season. I still have two more shows to film. I can only intern during breaks. Once all three seasons are done—about half a month—I can start full-time.”

Lin Qianyu checked the contract when she got back. If she breached it based on the basic penalty, it wasn’t too much—she could cover the next two shows with what she earned from the rescue center.

But… there was a clause: the penalty could increase based on the popularity of the livestream.

So canceling wasn’t really an option. Since the show was short anyway, she’d just treat it as a business trip between shifts at the rescue center.

Pei Feng made a hand gesture to show it was all no big deal. “Got it. I’ll take care of it.”【!!! Does that mean she’ll be participating in the next two episodes too?】

【Waaah I was already wondering what I’d even watch without Lin-jie in the later episodes. So glad she’s continuing, sob sob.】

【@Director, you must be grinning like crazy behind the scenes after hearing this.】

Su Yuxing was grinning behind the scenes.

He knew Lin Qianyu wanted to become a forest ranger. Given her abilities, working closely with animals as a ranger really was the most suitable path for her.

He had originally been considering whether to offer the first-place contestant some special privileges, like dissolving the contract peacefully, and then collaborating on a livestream series about a ranger’s daily life.

But before he even figured out how to handle it, Lin Qianyu took the initiative to say she wouldn’t terminate the contract—Su Yuxing was practically overjoyed.

With that, Su Yuxing immediately started making arrangements for the next episode. The variety show had three episodes total, and all three filming locations had been borrowed from Feng Jingye. Supplies for the next one had to be prepared.

Pei Feng went to handle the matter with the kinkajou and sugar glider.

Lin Qianyu made a full round of the rescue center building, visiting each floor.

The steppe wolf remained silent, so quiet it was as if he didn’t exist.

But every time they passed a special enclosure, Lin Qianyu would call out “Little Wolf,” asking him to take a look.

Every time, the dazed steppe wolf would follow the direction she pointed, and from total silence at the beginning, he gradually began to softly respond.

The fuzzy one that had gone hunting hadn’t returned yet.

Lin Qianyu pushed the steppe wolf’s wheelchair downstairs. The plaza was spacious, and there was some exercise equipment there—probably for the staff’s use.

She bit into a piece of jerky. “Quite a few people down here.”

Several people were training dogs—holding leashes and running with hunting dogs through various obstacle courses.

There were long-haired hunting dogs, pure white Samoyeds, and a German Shepherd standing tall not far away.

The dogs brought here were all trained—no chaotic barking, only responding with a loud “woof” when their trainers raised their hands.

Training was in full swing.

The steppe wolf stared fixedly in that direction too.

Lin Qianyu patted his furry head. “When you’re all better, how about I take you up there for a run?”

“Awoo…”

That reply came fast and clear.

Lin Qianyu chuckled. “Good, it’s a promise then.”

—“Woof!”

“Overlord!? Stop right there, Overlord!”

Bo Shushu was gripping the leash tightly, but her petite frame couldn’t control the disobedient Rottweiler, and she was being dragged forward.

Spotting Lin Qianyu in the distance, Bo Shushu still managed to wave and greet her, “Lin-jie! You’re out walking too—ah?!”

At the end of her sentence, she was jerked suddenly, nearly getting yanked flat by the Rottweiler.This dog was really distinctive. As far as Lin Qianyu remembered, it seemed to be the only Rottweiler that had been brought in, so she recognized it immediately as the one she had seen before.

But then she thought—wasn’t this dog assigned to Pei Feng?

Lin Qianyu asked, “Why’s this dog with you now?”

Bo Shushu was still running, already out of breath. “It’s not assigned to me, I work in logistics, I don’t train dogs. This is Brother Pei’s dog. He went to arrange housing for you, so I’m helping him run a few training laps. But it won’t listen to me. I’ve been chasing it for so many rounds, I’m exhausted.”

Not only did it not listen—when the Rottweiler heard her speaking, it even turned around and barked at her provocatively. It bared its teeth at Lin Qianyu too.

“Woof woof!” Its mouth opened wide, fully exposing its sharp teeth. Drool flew from its mouth.

The steppe wolf’s expression was cold and lethal. He slowly stood up from the wheelchair.

Lin Qianyu casually stroked the wolf’s fur, showing no fear at being stared down by a fierce dog. She simply said, “Don’t recognize me anymore?”

The Rottweiler paused and stared at Lin Qianyu. The teeth it had bared were still out, but its tail tucked down between its legs first. It whimpered softly.

It didn’t even dare to run. In an instant, it looked like someone had grabbed it by the scruff. With its tail clamped, it slinked behind Bo Shushu timidly.

That sudden change in behavior had the livestream viewers in stitches.

【Hahahahah I’m dying, Little Wang, what’s going on with you?】

【Did you forget your last beatdown from Brother Xiong? You still dare mess with Lin-jie?】

【Just now: “I am invincible!”

After seeing Lin Qianyu: “Sis, you’re here?! Why didn’t you tell me in advance? I would’ve come to greet you…”】

Bo Shushu let out an “Eh?” and asked, “Lin-jie, you know Overlord?”

Lin Qianyu nodded and replied casually, “We’ve had a few chats.”

As they spoke, Overlord’s tail was already wagging. Gone was that arrogant attitude from earlier—its tongue lolled out, panting, and it seemed much more docile now, maybe from having lost all its bravado.

Now that the dog was behaving, Bo Shushu finally let out a breath of relief—at least she didn’t have to keep being dragged around in this summer heat.

If she ran two more laps, she might really faint on the spot.

“Alright, walk’s over. Time for us to head back,” Lin Qianyu said, checking the time. Usually the fuzzballs that went out hunting would return around now.

It’s just that the rescue station was far from the hunting grounds, so the return trip would take some time.

It would be better in the future—once the steppe wolf recovered, she could take him to play in the rainforest.

“Woo…” The steppe wolf looked off into the distance, reluctant to leave.

Compared to resting indoors, the wide open outdoors clearly made him happier.

But it was time to eat.

Lin Qianyu held the wolf’s big tail. “You still want to stay outside and play?”

But he hadn’t eaten yet. And with the steppe wolf’s tiny appetite, a couple bites of meat and milk wouldn’t hold him over.

Small meals many times a day—he couldn’t just have the “small,” and miss out on the “many.”

As she spoke, she paused and said, “How about this—wanna try a bite of jerky?”

The steppe wolf only sniffed it, looking disinterested.Lin Qianyu broke the jerky into small pieces to make it easier to bite and eat. She didn’t notice the little wolf’s expression as she broke off several pieces, saying as she did, “I made this myself. No seasonings added, just a tiny bit of salt. It’s really tasty.”

Jerky was easy to carry, and since her backpack was too big and cumbersome to lug around, she had stuffed a few strips into her pocket.

The leaves she used to wrap the jerky were already a bit dry, but still soft, so she used them as a makeshift plate to hold the broken pieces.

She bit into the remaining half-stick herself.

The steppe wolf, who had originally shown no interest in the jerky, twitched his ears at her words. Under Lin Qianyu’s warm, smiling gaze, he lowered his head and bit off a piece of jerky, easily crushing the small chunk with his teeth.

Lin Qianyu also took a bite, as if tasting it alongside the little wolf. “Is it good?”

The steppe wolf slightly lifted his jaw, still chewing the jerky she had made, and gave a firm look: “Awoo!”

Lin Qianyu gave his furry head a kiss, her eyes crinkling with a smile. “Good boy.”

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