Chapter 47
Chapter 47
[Bonus Chapter from Nutrient Solution Rewards]
Leopard Cat: House cats! Someone’s chasing me while riding a tiger!
【Aaaah?! Is that really a panda?! I didn’t see wrong, right?!】
【Why would there be a panda in a rainforest? That makes no sense!】
【Sure, there are giant pandas in the tropical rainforest park in Hainan, but that’s a park! What you should be curious about is—why is there a panda on an isolated island in the sea?!】
Lin Qianyu hadn’t expected to see a panda either.
Giant pandas only exist in China. All the ones abroad are leased from China. How could one be roaming free on a remote island overseas?
The more Lin Qianyu thought about it, the more puzzled she felt. The giant panda looked at her for a moment, then slowly stood up and crawled into the yellow pineberry bushes. With its thick fur, it wasn’t bothered by the little thorns inside at all.
“Leaving already?” Lin Qianyu hadn’t snapped out of it yet. She quickly reached out and called, “Don’t go, little one. I’ve still got watermelon. Come out and eat!”
She hadn’t seen a panda last time she came—maybe it was bad timing, or maybe because other predators were around, and the panda instinctively avoided appearing.
This time, the temptation of watermelon had been too strong. The giant panda couldn’t resist.
Anyone who knows pandas knows that they love fresh fruit. Compared to the occasional wild berries they might find in the wild, the crisp, juicy watermelon was an irresistible treat.
But no matter how much Lin Qianyu coaxed it, or even tried to push the watermelon into the bushes, the panda didn’t come back out.
When she leaned over to look, the panda was already gone.
“Really not gonna eat it? Could it be scared of me?” The panda had looked a bit dazed after taking a bite of the watermelon earlier. Lin Qianyu had no doubt it had been drawn over by the watermelon, took a bite on instinct, and then froze once it realized what it had done.
Thinking that, Lin Qianyu set the watermelon down and stepped back a bit to see if the panda would come out and eat.
Buzz buzz buzz buzz—her phone vibrated twice. The low battery icon was flashing as Lin Qianyu opened the message.
Feng Jingye:【Two years ago, my team took down a group of poachers. Following a few leads, we found this panda being trafficked to a foreign black market, along with some other animals, which were placed on different islands. There’s no ideal habitat for pandas, but this island was the closest. After adapting in a simulated indoor environment, it was released here.】
It had originally been a wild panda, so it had strong survival and adaptability skills.
Feng Jingye:【If you go past the cliff you jumped from last time, and descend the mountain from the other side, you’ll see a bamboo grove planted by the rescue center.】
Lin Qianyu nodded in understanding and was just about to reply when her phone screen went black.
—Battery completely dead.
She looked at the now-heated phone and tried pressing the power button again, but it was unresponsive. Knowing everyone in the livestream was also curious about how a panda ended up in a rainforest, she turned to explain to the viewers: “The giant panda was rescued from poachers. There was no better place to release it, so it was brought here.”
“I haven’t seen the bamboo grove yet.” Lin Qianyu thought about it—there were only a few parts of the island she hadn’t explored, mostly because she knew they belonged to certain furry residents and hadn’t ventured in.
Who would’ve thought there was a bamboo grove hidden there?
She ate a yellow pineberry and mused, “Let’s go check out the bamboo grove later. The panda left, but maybe we’ll run into it again there.”
【Yes!!! Let’s go now!】
【Can’t believe we saw a panda in the last half-day of the show. Wuwuwu how did a wild panda get so fat.】
【Hahaha rude! Mind your manners! It's just adorably chubby!】
Even in the brief moment the panda appeared on stream, it was no exaggeration to say—you could tell from its build alone that this panda was definitely a capable hunter.The giant panda may look cute and clumsy, but it’s extremely powerful in a fight—once known as the “iron-eating beast,” which shows just how strong its bite really is.
If it's in an environment it’s used to, with both bamboo and meat, it can thrive quite comfortably.
Wild pandas are chubby and snow-white, even their fur collars are pristine.
After animals are released into the rainforest by the rescue center, the staff generally stop interfering with their survival. Everything is left up to the animals themselves.
Fortunately, this one is a wild panda. If it had been raised in captivity and then released, it might not have adapted so quickly.
“When I get back, I’ll ask Mr. Feng what other fluffy creatures are on this island,” Lin Qianyu said as she finished the yellow pineberries in her hand and picked two more. “I used to think too narrowly—maybe we could see lions in the rainforest?”
Feng Jingye:【Unlikely. I have an island with a savannah environment.】
In the livestream comment section, Feng Jingye responded directly.
【!!!】
【A—A living island owner!】
【I’m still struggling to afford an apartment, and this guy already owns multiple islands while still young.】
【Nice. I buy cat towers and cat houses for my pets, Feng Jingye buys islands.】
……
Lin Qianyu choked a little. “Right, lions would be on the savannah. Hey, didn’t the director say the next variety show would explore the savannah? Mr. Feng, are you working closely with the production team?”
Feng Jingye:【.】
The location of the next variety show was supposed to be confidential—not just from the public, but also from the guests.
The whole point was to build suspense. The more curious the audience, the more viewers the first livestream of season two would get.
Lin Qianyu had only been slightly suspicious, not certain. But after seeing Feng Jingye’s answer, she was now sure—that was the location.
She smiled with her eyes. “Then wouldn’t the third season be…”
Su Yuxing:【Aaaaaaahhh!】
The director frantically jumped into the chat—please stop, Shifu, please stop!
You’re about to spoil the whole show with just a few sentences.
Lin Qianyu gave a light cough and raised her index finger in a “shhh” gesture.
Still, it wasn’t a big issue. These islands weren’t open to the public. Before the rainforest island appeared on the livestream, not a single photo of it had leaked. Even the staff working on the island had signed confidentiality agreements.
The other two islands were even more mysterious.
Once Lin Qianyu brought it up, many fans immediately started searching for information on islands registered under Feng Jingye’s name.
But—nothing.
No matter how many browsers they switched to, the search results came up empty.
That just made everyone even more curious.
【Wuwuwu @Su Yuxing I’m warning you—don’t be difficult. You better start livestreaming Season Two tomorrow!】【I don’t care! If I don’t see Season Two in ten minutes, I’m blowing up the moon.】
Even if Su Yuxing had heaven-defying skills, there was nothing he could do—so many guests dropped out of the first season, and they hadn’t even assembled all eight guests for the second one yet.
So he could only come out and calm the fans, promising that Season Two would be streamed on time, and asking everyone to focus on the edited highlights of the show for now to divert their attention.
“The giant panda runs pretty fast.” Lin Qianyu had eaten all the yellow pineberries within reach, but the panda never came back for the watermelon.
She simply wiped her hands and stood up, leaving the watermelon behind. If the panda came back, there would still be some left.
“Hmph!”
The panda’s clear chirping made Lin Qianyu pause mid-step.
A large patch of low shrubs trembled, as if some animal was rustling through them.
The next moment, the giant panda emerged from the same little hole it had entered earlier. One forearm was curled and resting against its chest. Upon seeing Lin Qianyu, it raised its chin happily and let out a “Aow!”
Look!
“Look? Look at what?” Lin Qianyu noticed its bent arm and focused her gaze. It was cradling a bunch of small, tender, yellow wild fruits.
Yellow pineberries.
There weren’t many yellow pineberries growing outside. They were sweet, and most herbivores who found them would eat them.
But the panda had picked a whole heap.
“You didn’t leave?” Lin Qianyu was surprised.
The panda had gone inside to gather yellow pineberries.
Most of the ones outside had already been eaten, but there were still many deeper inside that were harder to reach.
“Woo!” The panda’s eyes were clear and bright. It walked over and nudged the pineberries toward her. “Aowoo!”
“You’re making it up to me?” Lin Qianyu saw how serious it looked and couldn’t help but smile with her eyes. “That’s a lot.”
The panda had only taken one bite of watermelon but brought back this whole bunch of pineberries.
【That bite of watermelon was totally worth it!】
【Wuwuwu the panda is so good and obedient. This chubby baby is too cute! It’s just watermelon—give it more! Let it eat a whole one!】
【A high-combat power fluffy that relies on eating veggies and being cute to survive—just looks so soft and pettable.】
……
Lin Qianyu got a whole armful of yellow pineberries in exchange for one bite of watermelon. She couldn’t carry them all, so she lifted her shirt hem to hold them.
The panda looked honest and dependable, its round shape both cute and endearing.
But even when facing a fluffy creature she had just met, Lin Qianyu didn’t reach out to touch it directly and instead said, “Then as a trade, how about I get you a few more pieces of watermelon?”
“Ah!”
Okay!
“Wait for me, I’ll be right back.”Lin Qianyu didn’t recklessly bring the giant panda back—there were too many fluffy animals over on the grassland, and it wouldn’t be good if they met and started fighting.
“Look, so many yellow pineberries.” As Lin Qianyu walked back, she didn’t forget to talk to the livestream viewers. “The panda picked them for me.”
Judging by how familiar the panda seemed with the path, it clearly wasn’t its first time going in to pick them.
For fruit-loving fluffies, it was likely all the nearby wild fruits had been eaten through already.
Lin Qianyu plucked one to eat and explained as she walked, “Yellow pineberries are sweet. Though not as juicy as cloudberries, the texture is more appealing to small animals. And they’re very nutritious, with anti-cancer properties too.”
After a pause, Lin Qianyu praised, “The panda picked really carefully—not a single fruit skin is damaged. Pretty amazing, right?”
【Mhm mhm mhm we get it, stop showing off. If you show off one more time, I’ll cry from jealousy…】
【I swear I’m gonna smash my phone, I don’t believe I can’t squeeze myself into that screen!】
【Feels like Sister Lin can always bond effortlessly with the fluffies. If it were me, I’d just get mauled by them.】
Fans watching the stream were both jealous and full of admiration.
All the viewers were domestic fans—this livestream wasn’t available to international audiences.
Everyone already had a natural fondness for giant pandas, and this one was particularly well-behaved, round and chubby—extra adorable!
A magical fluffy that took one bite of watermelon and then brought back a whole pile of yellow pineberries—who wouldn’t love that?
“I’m back!” Lin Qianyu gave the leopard a big affectionate rub on the head.
Good thing she had planned not to return tonight and brought extra watermelon.
There were already lots of watermelon rinds beside the black bear, and it was still holding a big piece in its paws, munching away.
Lin Qianyu picked up one box, leaving the rest—one whole box was more than enough for the black bear.
She poured the yellow pineberries into an empty box and shook out her clothes. “I’m taking this one.”
“Woo!” The black bear responded between bites of watermelon, but then suddenly paused, its nose twitching as it sniffed the scent of the pineberries and tilted its head.
The young bear blinked, a little confused. “Aow?”
The unfamiliar scent of another animal caught the black bear’s attention, but the smell of the pineberries was mixed and a bit strange.
Sweet, but unfamiliar…?
It licked its lips and gave a soft snort. “Woo?”
Unable to figure it out, it simply gave up and lowered its head to chomp off another mouthful of melon.
Afraid the panda might wait too long and leave, Lin Qianyu grabbed the watermelon and rushed back.
By the edge of the shrubs, the giant panda slowly lifted its head at the sound of her approach. Upon seeing Lin Qianyu, it squinted its eyes happily.
Maybe that expression didn’t mean “smiling” in animal terms—
But it certainly looked cheerful and adorably clumsy.
It was eating the piece of watermelon Lin Qianyu had left behind earlier.
The watermelon wasn’t big—she had chosen a smaller piece to eat while walking, since it was easier to carry by hand.Given the giant panda’s appetite, it could finish that small piece of watermelon—rind and all—in two bites, but now after all that time, it looked like only the rind had been scratched.
The giant panda was eating very carefully.
Lin Qianyu handed it a whole box of watermelon. “Here, this is for you.”
As she spoke, she pointed toward the cave. “I live over there. If you ever want watermelon again, you can come find me.”
Wild pandas probably never have the chance to eat watermelon. And during the process of being auctioned off, who knows if it was even well cared for.
But once it was brought back to the rescue center, the staff there must have piled it with delicious food. Calculating from that, the last time this panda had watermelon was likely several years ago.
The steppe wolf slowly approached from behind Lin Qianyu. When it noticed the giant panda not far off, it paused and hesitated for a long moment before finally setting its paw down and taking another step.
“Shh.” Lin Qianyu crouched and easily pulled the steppe wolf into the crook of her arm.
Once embraced, the steppe wolf didn’t continue moving forward.
The giant panda was rather carefree, holding the watermelon and nibbling at it bit by bit. When it saw a strange predator approaching, it didn’t react at all—just flicked its ear and kept eating without even looking.
Maybe it was because the steppe wolf carried Lin Qianyu’s scent.
The one who gives you watermelon must be a good person.
Lin Qianyu leaned down and whispered into the wolf’s ear, “Want a piece too?”
The steppe wolf nuzzled her cheek. “Mmm…”
Maybe it had stayed here too long.
The red-tailed land eagle and the black bear had also come over. The leopard had jumped into a nearby tree—looking down, you could see the prey they had just hunted.
The black bear had been eating ever since it got here—wild fruits, watermelon, meat—it had already eaten a lot. Now it was stuffed and couldn’t fit another bite.
But when it saw the panda eating watermelon, it still froze for a second.
The red-tailed land eagle didn’t have a fixed territory. If it wanted, it could fly across the entire rainforest in an hour, so it had seen plenty of animals.
It wasn’t particularly surprised. It landed on Lin Qianyu’s shoulder, holding a cloudberry in its beak, which it offered to her.
The black bear lowered its body, its paws stepping silently on the ground. Despite being a large predator, it moved without a sound.
Lin Qianyu raised her right hand, cutting off the black bear’s pre-fight buildup. She wrapped her arm around its neck, gave its furry head a kiss, and said with a smile, “No fighting. It’s a bear too, did you notice?”
Giant pandas are part of the bear family—same family as black bears.
“Aow!” The black bear suddenly stood up, raising its front limbs high.
In animal body language, visually showing off its strength like this is meant to be intimidating.
【?! Fat baby don’t start a fight!】
【No fighting, please. I’m too old to handle this kind of stress.】
“No fighting…?”
Just as Lin Qianyu was about to stop them, everything went dark in front of her eyes.
“???”The imposing black bear didn’t strike at the giant panda—instead, it covered Lin Qianyu’s eyes.
Lin Qianyu: “……”
Bullet comments: 【……】
【Pfft—HAHAHA so—cute!!! This kind of adorable bear makes Auntie want to smother it with kisses.】
【Fake jealousy: You’re stealing Linlin’s attention? I’ll beat you! Real jealousy: You’re not allowed to look!】
【The little bear really has that pure and clueless silly vibe.】
After covering her eyes, the black bear even cockily raised its chin at the giant panda. “Hmph!”
It wasn’t covering tightly—Lin Qianyu could still see the little bear’s expression through the gaps, and she was laughing so hard her shoulders were shaking.
It was like the bear was radiating pride, as if it had just conquered the world.
“Alright, alright.” Lin Qianyu pulled down the furry arm and squeezed the paw pad in its palm.
“Roar—!”
It was Da Ju’s voice.
The tiger’s roar made the giant panda pause for a moment—but only for a moment. Its jaws didn’t stop chewing the watermelon.
Lin Qianyu looked up but didn’t see the big tiger. It must be running over. She stood up and said, “We haven’t even had lunch yet—let’s head back for now.”
“We’re leaving, little Rollie.” Lin Qianyu greeted the panda. “We’ll come play next time.”
She really did want to check out the bamboo grove sometime.
The giant panda held the half-eaten watermelon rind in its mouth. “Mmm!”
Before heading back, Lin Qianyu took a detour to pick some more cloudberries. When she returned, Da Ju was already lying under a tree, eyes closed, sleeping.
Not far from the big tiger, the water buffalo, zebra, and rabbit were all piled together—their massive forms especially noticeable.
Lin Qianyu smiled. “See, I told you Da Ju could hunt a water buffalo.”
Hearing its name, Da Ju lazily cracked open an eyelid.
“You must be tired. I’ll cut it up and we’ll eat.”
Lin Qianyu dragged over the leaf with the rabbits on it. “Here, Da Ju, the rabbits are already prepared. You can eat these first.”
But the tiger had no interest in rabbit meat. That bit of meat wasn’t enough to catch its attention.
“It’s very fresh.” Lin Qianyu dangled a rabbit leg in front of it, swaying the fully cleaned rabbit carcass before its eyes.
The rabbit was small enough that it didn’t even need to be deboned. These few bones were no problem for a predator—they’d crunch through them like cartilage with a single bite.
Seeing that the tiger still didn’t want to eat, it even shut its eyes without a glance.
“Look at the meat grain, look at that plump little rabbit head—so perfect for a tiger.” Lin Qianyu wasn’t giving up. She’d seen the big tiger eat other kinds of meat before—rabbit should be fine too. In fact, rabbit meat was one of the more tender kinds among animals.
Logically, a picky tiger should like it.
Lin Qianyu waved the rabbit in front of the tiger. “Really not eating…?”“Da Ju?”
“Da—ah!”
Before she could shake it twice, the big tiger suddenly pounced—so fast there was no time to react.
Lin Qianyu only felt her vision shift, and by the time she realized what had happened, she was already lying on the grass.
Her right hand was still stretched out to the side, holding the rabbit up high.
Lin Qianyu blinked and shifted the rabbit over. “Have a bite, come on.”
The big tiger lowered its head, opened its mouth, and grabbed the rabbit—biting down and taking the whole thing.
The rabbit really wasn’t big. It could eat two or three in one bite.
Lin Qianyu smoothed the fur along its neck. “Is it tasty?”
“Mmm…” The tiger lowered its head and rubbed against her neck, chewing the rabbit meat and bones slowly. “Mmm!”
“Hm? You mean eating rabbit is troublesome?” Lin Qianyu thought for a moment. With how picky Da Ju was, it would want the rabbit skinned, deboned, and the innards cleaned.
For a tiger of that size, doing such delicate prep work really was troublesome.
Some less picky tigers might just swallow the whole thing—fur, meat, and all—but Da Ju was different.
So after all that prep—an hour of work—for a three-second meal.
No wonder the big tiger was too lazy to eat rabbits. No matter how tasty, it just wasn’t worth it.
“If you like it, then eat it. I’ll prep it for you next time.” Lin Qianyu patted her backpack. “I’ve got professional tools. You’ll have all the rabbit you want.”
She made quick work of rabbit prep.
After feeding, Lin Qianyu ruffled the big furry head. “You eat on your own, I’m going to slice the meat.”
After the variety show ended, Lin Qianyu replaced her machete with a full set of knives—boning knives, cleavers, and other basics—all packed neatly in a leather case that she kept stacked in her backpack, sharp and easy to carry.
Opening the kit, she took out the boning knife and said, “If this knife set shows up in the supply choices next episode, I’m picking it first, no question.”
A machete worked fine, but every craft has its own tools. Knives made for slicing and skinning were definitely more efficient.
With a good knife in hand, she sliced off half a head of meat in no time.
Lin Qianyu rolled a piece of meat to feed the steppe wolf.
The wolf, used to her presence, liked to lean against her whenever it had nothing to do. Now it was lying beside her—she just had to stretch out a hand to feed it directly.
Zebra, buffalo, and all those rabbits…
If there were even a few fewer furballs, all this food wouldn’t get eaten in one sitting.
The steppe wolf, tired from eating, yawned. Just as its head lifted and its mouth was still open mid-yawn, Lin Qianyu stuffed a piece of meat in.
Its jaw moved slightly, and it gave her a helpless look.
Once the meat was ready, the scent of blood filled the air.
Lin Qianyu noticed some animals in the bushes being lured over by the smell.But although they were lured from afar, once they got close and caught the scent of many predators, the complex mix of smells still frightened them too much to approach.
They only sniffed from a distance, seemingly waiting for the predators to finish eating so they could scavenge the leftovers.
Lin Qianyu used hand sanitizer twice, barely suppressing the scent of blood. “Next time I’m cutting meat, I should wear gloves.”
But she hesitated a bit—gloves might affect her finger dexterity, and trimming meat from between bones really required some finesse.
“Hua Hua, little Diao, come eat!”
Meat was spread all over the ground on leaves—anyone could just pick whatever they liked and eat.
【Why doesn’t this count as an all-you-can-eat buffet for animals?】
【Haha, this looks even more luxurious than the buffet downstairs from my place.】
Watching the furry creatures bow their heads to eat, Lin Qianyu felt a great sense of accomplishment. She counted—aside from the black bear who had already eaten its fill and was napping on a rock, the little chevrotain wasn’t there either.
She raised an eyebrow. “Little deer?”
That lone low-combat but fight-loving creature being out of sight still made Lin Qianyu a little uneasy.
“Yoo!”
“What are you up to?” Lin Qianyu parted the bushes. The little chevrotain was lying inside, chewing on a leaf with an odd shape.
Over the long course of evolution, herbivores had developed the ability to distinguish whether certain grasses or leaves were toxic or edible based on scent and taste.
So there was no need to worry about whether it was safe to eat.
The little chevrotain must’ve thought it tasted pretty good, because after finishing the leaf in its mouth, it lifted its head to take another bite from a drooping branch.
With its not-so-sharp little teeth, it ground away bit by bit until it bit off one end of the branch, then trotted back carrying it in its mouth.
“Yoo!”
“Thanks, little deer. But you can keep it and eat it yourself.” Lin Qianyu reached out and picked the chevrotain up. It must have squeezed in through a sparser part of the bushes—this side was too dense for it to get out.
The little chevrotain kept chewing the leaf. Hearing her words, it tilted its head, then ran off again to feed the leaves to the leopard.
The leopard, who was eating meat, only looked up and expressionlessly licked the blood off its mouth. The little chevrotain immediately halted its steps and sat down to eat the leaves itself.
—After lunch, it was about time to head back.
There was still some time before the guests had to leave the island, and a shuttle bus was waiting at the foot of the mountain.
Lin Qianyu did her usual morning livestream. It wasn’t much different from the usual variety show—except the gear had been upgraded.
She led the fluffy crew back. Passing by the cave platform, she made a point to glance at the bowl in the corner.
Fresh water and food were placed there every day.
It was currently empty, which meant the large spotted civet was still coming by daily to eat.
Thinking of that, Lin Qianyu stopped again to replenish the water and food. “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen the civet for a few days. Wonder how it’s doing now—maybe it’s gained some weight?”
Chubby and round was always better for furballs.
She lifted the waterproof cloth and took advantage of the good sunlight outside to air out the outer room.As Lin Qianyu moved her hand, a feather slid off the waterproof cloth, floating gently as it swayed. She reached out to catch it. “What’s this?”
She rubbed the feather between her fingers. Judging by its appearance, it looked a bit like a lyrebird feather.
Lin Qianyu gathered all the feathers together—there was a whole handful. Clearly, they hadn’t just fallen off by accident. “Did the lyrebird come by?”
Last time, when she went to the swamp to rescue the tree kangaroo, it was the lyrebird that had come to find her. The lyrebird and the tree kangaroo must be good friends.
But... “Do lyrebirds have a habit of using their feathers as gifts?”
Lin Qianyu thought about it—she didn’t recall seeing any such mention in the animal encyclopedia.
“Chirp!” The red-tailed land eagle flew over and dropped the feather it was holding into Lin Qianyu’s hand.
Compared to the lyrebird’s feather, the red-tailed land eagle’s tail feathers were more vibrant in color and larger, with a softer layer of down.
“Xiao Diao?” Lin Qianyu caught it with an amused expression. “You’re not allowed to pluck your own feathers.”
“Chirp…”
Lin Qianyu touched the tail feathers still on the red-tailed land eagle—thankfully, they grew quickly. Otherwise, if he kept plucking like this, he’d be bald. “Your tail feathers look best on you, understand, good boy.”
The red-tailed land eagle tilted his head. “Chirp!”
“This must’ve been sent by that lyrebird we met last time,” Lin Qianyu said, carefully storing the feathers inside the cave. “I’ll see later if I can put them to use somehow.”
She did a quick tidy-up of the cave and placed the rabbit pelts there as well.
The little brown rabbit that the young bird treated as a friend had also been brought back. Surrounded by a bunch of predators, the rabbit stayed absolutely still—too scared to even run.
It just so happened she could keep it with the two rabbits at home and raise them as breeding stock.
When heading down to shoot the departure scenes, there’d definitely be a lot of people. If she brought all the fluffballs along, she wouldn’t be able to take care of them properly.
Lin Qianyu set Xiao Diao down. “You guys wait for me at home. I’ll be right back.”
She remembered last time, when the fluffballs saw she hadn’t returned, they went looking for her at the rescue station. It occurred to her that these little animals might not have a clear sense of time.
Lin Qianyu patted the big tiger’s paw and said, “I’ll be back before it gets dark.”
“Roar——!”
On her watch, the director had already started tagging all the members in the group chat.
Lin Qianyu replied “Got it,” waved her hand, and said, “Let’s go!”
Inside the villa.
Xie Yifei’s room was completely silent. Since the livestream ended and his assistant left, no one had checked on him.
This was an island, and he was a half-paralyzed disabled man. Even if he really managed to escape, without help, he wouldn’t be able to leave the island.
So no one took care of him—not even a guard at the door.
Click—the door opened. Guo Yanpeng, looking just as haggard, walked in.
He shut the door casually and said in a flat tone, “What do you want from me?”
Xie Yifei’s throat tightened. “I…”He had just started to speak, but the rest of the words wouldn’t come out.
Guo Yanpeng said impatiently, “If you have something to say, say it directly. I’m about to leave the island, I don’t have time to waste here with you.”
Seeing this, Xie Yifei, though nervous, didn’t show much emotion. Instead, he chuckled lightly. “You get me out, and I’ll give you the evidence of the deal between me and An Lanqing.”
“An Lanqing did this to you. You must hate her too, right?” Xie Yifei’s low voice was like a siren offering up tempting treasure. “With this evidence, An Lanqing will never be able to step into the entertainment industry again.”
“Your deal with An Lanqing?” Guo Yanpeng slowly furrowed his brow.
As if hearing the hesitation in his voice, Xie Yifei curled his lips. “Yes. She knew I was working with poachers and contacted me on her own. Said she could provide intel, help me steal the red-tailed land eagle chick, in exchange for a fifty-fifty split of the profit.”
“But I didn’t trust her to pull it off. Compared to Lin Qianyu, she’s just a brainless idiot. So I gave her another task—told her to get Lin Qianyu’s blood.”
Guo Yanpeng: “You paid off her contract penalty?”
Xie Yifei sneered, “As if. She never even got Lin Qianyu’s blood. Anyway, if you want to destroy her, make her fall even harder, my evidence can be the final nail in the coffin.”
Guo Yanpeng pressed his lips together. “So you really were hiding something you didn’t confess voluntarily.”
“Tch, the more you say, the quicker you die. If he knows everything, do you think he’ll keep me alive?” Xie Yifei didn’t care at all.
He had already checked the room with his smartwatch for cameras and recording devices before contacting Guo Yanpeng, and only reached out after disabling the surveillance in the corner.
“If you still like her and don’t want to be so cruel, same deal—get me out, I’ll give you the evidence, I’ll delete the backup, and she’ll still have a shot to return to acting in the entertainment world. How about it? Her fate will be in your hands.”
The reason Xie Yifei approached Guo Yanpeng was, first, because the power behind him had the ability to get him off the island, and second, because of An Lanqing. Whether Guo Yanpeng liked her or hated her out of love, the evidence would be useful either way.
Guo Yanpeng removed the necklace from his neck and deliberately waved it in front of Xie Yifei. “Everything you just said was recorded. The video will go straight to Mr. Feng. You’d better think about how to save your own life.”
“Guo Yanpeng?!” When Xie Yifei saw the tiny red light flash on the necklace, the calm, composed mask he wore instantly crumbled. “You and Feng Jingye—” As he called the full name, Guo Yanpeng raised the necklace even higher. He didn’t say anything, but the signal was clear—it was still recording.
Xie Yifei choked, “You—you’re the third young master of Hengping Group, and you’re willing to be Feng Jingye’s dog?”
“You were sent here by your family elders, weren’t you?” Guo Yanpeng looked at him coldly. “Idiot. No one can save you. But what you just said might save me. What do you think I came here for?”
Xie Yifei, enraged, pounded the bed with clenched fists. “Guo Yanpeng! You’re the only one left—the only one who can help me! We were once good brothers. Can you really leave me here to die?”
“When you were chasing after An Lanqing, weren’t you the one always mocking me for being a bootlicker, saying I wasn’t fit to be seen? What did you have to brag about, being an illegitimate child?” Guo Yanpeng didn’t mind chatting a bit more with Xie Yifei.
The more Xie Yifei said, the more material he had to turn in—and the better to please that person up top.
“If you don’t die, it’ll be me, my whole family.” Guo Yanpeng wasn’t stupid. No matter how strong a brotherhood, he wasn’t going to risk his entire family to help—especially when he and Xie Yifei were more like mortal enemies than friends.
“Oh right, don’t say I didn’t help you. You think that pathetic smartwatch check could really disable all the surveillance in the room? I was the one who shut it down for you.”
If Xie Yifei’s confession had reached Feng Jingye before his, then his own recordings would’ve been worthless.
Xie Yifei stared with wide, furious eyes, teeth chattering with rage, the sound mixing with the faint noise of saliva being swallowed.
Guo Yanpeng didn’t even glance at him. Instead, he shattered the last thread of hope Xie Yifei had for rescue. “Don’t bother waiting. Someone did report you to the police, but others intervened. And since you’re not even in the country, don’t worry—someone’s protecting you, making sure you don’t go to prison.”
“GUO YANPENG!!!” The one straw Xie Yifei had clung to with all his strength snapped effortlessly under Guo Yanpeng’s casual, mocking tone.
“Stop shouting. No one’s coming to help you.” Guo Yanpeng turned to leave.
Xie Yifei’s emotions collapsed in an instant. “Don’t do this, bro! Think of how we used to be! Even if you don’t save me, just report me to the police! Send me to prison, okay? Do you know what I’ll go through if I stay here? Do you know what kind of person Feng Jingye is?!”
He spoke quickly and incoherently, because he knew—if he didn’t say it now, it’d be too late. Once Guo Yanpeng walked out this time, he wouldn’t come back.Guo Yanpeng glanced at him with disgust. “Exactly because I know what kind of person Feng Jingye is, there’s no way I’d help you.”
“I still have a sum of money in a Swiss bank,” Xie Yifei shouted with all his strength, neck veins bulging as he struggled, “No one knows about it—if you just agree, I’ll use all of it to buy myself a spot in prison from you.”
“You won’t lose anything! All you have to do is go abroad and report me to the police—you don’t need to do anything else. No matter what country’s prison it is, as long as you get me in, the money is yours.”
Amid Xie Yifei’s breakdown and shouting, Guo Yanpeng still closed the door expressionlessly.
When he turned around, the assistant was already standing at the doorway, smiling at him.
“Mr. Guo, thank you for your hard work,” he said, extending his hand, palm up.
Guo Yanpeng handed over the necklace. “I helped you, so…”
“Mr. Guo,” the assistant’s face wore a professional smile, but his eyes were completely lifeless. “This is what you’re supposed to do. How can one ask for something in return for doing the right thing?”
Guo Yanpeng paused. “I understand.”
As he looked out the window at the bright sunlight, he found it increasingly blinding.
——The honk of the tour bus jolted Guo Yanpeng from his thoughts. He came back to his senses, and the assistant was already gone.
He let out a long sigh and silently went down to join the other guests.
Seeing this, Su Yuxing waved the fan in his hand. “Guo Yanpeng, hurry up! What’s going on with you? You stayed behind at the villa, and you’re still the last to show up.”
“Coming.” Guo Yanpeng walked quickly down the steps and silently boarded the bus. When he saw Lin Qianyu, he immediately averted his gaze.
Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow. What was with Guo Yanpeng acting like a startled bird?
【Thinking back to the first episode, Guo Yanpeng was strutting around in front of Lin-jie. Hasn’t been that long, has it?】
【Tsk tsk, just had his edges worn down by reality.】
【I’ve never liked that “I’m-the-king-of-the-world” act of his. Who would even stan someone like that?】
...
Su Yuxing stood at the front of the bus. This was the same bus that had brought the guests into the rainforest at the start. Coincidentally, even the seat assignments hadn’t changed.
There wasn’t a professional cameraman this time—Su Yuxing was filming with his own phone, more like a casual vlog, aiming for a relaxed, spontaneous vibe.
“Qianyu! What did you think of this wilderness survival trip?” For the first person on camera, Su Yuxing naturally chose the most popular one.
Lin Qianyu thought for a moment and said, “It was fun. I’ll come again next time.”
Su Yuxing: “...?”
He glanced at the other guests with broken arms, broken legs, and lifeless faces.
Confirmed—Lin Qianyu had treated this whole thing like a vacation.
Su Yuxing asked again, “Did you encounter any danger on this trip?”
Lin Qianyu replied, “No. Danger and opportunity go hand in hand. Rather than calling it danger, I’d say I had many chances to meet and get to know cute rainforest animals.”
The first step to befriending a wild beast… is not to be afraid of it.
Otherwise, if you're too scared to get close—even if that beast only looks fierce but actually has a gentle nature—you’ll never find that out, and miss the chance.Lin Qianyu answered seriously, but after pausing for a moment as if something occurred to her, she added, “What I said only applies to myself. Please don’t imitate me. I had a script written by the director. If anyone encounters a wild animal in real life, staying alive should be the priority.”
Su Yuxing: “……”
I don’t care what it takes—this last sentence has got to be cut.
【Hahaha look at Director Su’s expression.】
【Su Yuxing: This is murder by praise, this is murder by praise!】
【Modern fans are too rebellious. When Lin-jie said there was no script, no one believed her. Now that she’s openly saying it was scripted, you still don’t believe her.】
【I totally believe in Director Su’s ability. Next episode I want to see orcas and humpback whales in a brawl. Make it happen.】
...
Fans in the livestream chat were directly handwriting scripts to pitch ideas to the director.
Su Yuxing laughed awkwardly. “Alright, alright, next time.”
Meanwhile, he was secretly fiddling with his phone. Ban! You’re all getting banned! All. Of. You!
After two questions, Su Yuxing went to find Hang Sisi. “Now it’s our Sisi’s turn. Who would you like to partner with on the next trip?”
Hang Sisi looked almost without hesitation at Lin Qianyu. “If I’m choosing a partner, of course I want to pick Qianyu-jie. But Qianyu-jie is too amazing. If she had to drag me around as deadweight, people would scold me to death. So instead, I’m wishing that Youlin-ge’s arm recovers before the next variety show starts.”
Yin Youlin said, “Don’t worry. The doctor said it’s basically fine. I’ll be there on time next episode.”
Su Yuxing nodded, and didn’t even glance at Guo Yanpeng peeking his head in from the corner. The video ended there.
After putting his phone away, he turned to the livestream setup and continued the topic. “The guest lineup for episode two of Wilderness has already been finalized. In addition to the four returning familiar faces, there will be four new guests. Everyone, feel free to guess who they are.”
Su Yuxing smiled at the camera. “We’ve posted hint cards on the official Weibo corresponding to the guests. We’ll randomly select ten people who guess correctly and send out some special merchandise from our production team.”
【Is it a felt craft made by Lin-jie?】
【We want felt crafts! We want felt crafts!】
As soon as giveaways were mentioned, everyone immediately thought of the items Lin Qianyu had made previously.
In no time, the livestream chat was flooded with the words “felt craft.”
Su Yuxing earnestly explained to fans, “Felt crafts can’t be mass-produced. But we’ve prepared some lovely gifts—like photos from the show and autographs from each guest!”
The official livestream was completely overtaken by Lin Qianyu’s fans.
In this variety show, her popularity was unrivaled. To put it bluntly, the only reason the official livestream had high viewership now was because Lin Qianyu hadn’t started her own stream. Her fans had no choice but to come here.
So naturally, the giveaway prizes were all thought up with Lin Qianyu in mind.
【I want Huahua’s paw print!】
【Aaaaah?! Then I want Big Orange’s!】
【Wait, what’s going on here? You’re picking favorites like kids—I want them all! The little mouse-deer’s hoofprint and the little black snake’s tail mark too!】
Su Yuxing: “……”
You people really aren’t shy about asking.Even paw prints—I don’t even have one!
Su Yuxing wiped the nervous sweat from his forehead. “In addition to that, there’s also a cash prize of up to 100,000 yuan!”
When it came to the cash prize, Su Yuxing’s tone grew much more confident. Clearly, he thought cash would grab everyone’s attention.
He didn’t expect that almost no one in the livestream discussed the money. The only bullet comment mentioning “cash” said—【The cash prize is nice and all, but when are we getting the paw prints? Or even the bear cub’s tail print would be fine!】
Su Yuxing’s mouth twitched. He put down the mic, thinking: This closing stream really can’t go on any longer.
Lin Qianyu noticed the flood of scrolling comments and said, “Paw prints, huh? That’s not really feasible. Most colored inks have some level of toxicity. If they don’t wipe off completely, and the animals start grooming themselves during downtime, they might end up ingesting it without realizing. Natural dyes from flowers don’t last very long either.”
After giving it some thought, she added, “It would make a great giveaway. So once I find a long-lasting, completely non-toxic pigment, I’ll send out paw prints then.”
She also remembered to promote the official Weibo, saying, “For now, go support the show and enter the official giveaway.”
Su Yuxing chimed in quickly, “Yes, yes, do participate!”
Lin Qianyu thought about her new Weibo account that had no followers yet. “There aren’t many felt crafts, so I’ll do two giveaways on my personal Weibo, and two on the official one. Everyone, remember to follow me. It’s a brand new account. I’ll be posting livestream notices there from now on too.”
This was something she came up with on the spot—she hadn’t discussed it with the director.
Su Yuxing looked at her in surprise.
Lin Qianyu nodded.
The smile on Su Yuxing’s face deepened immediately. “Alright, let’s increase the giveaway!”
...
While they were talking, the bus had already stopped.
As they got off, Su Yuxing took the final group photo.
The guests waved at the livestream.
“Goodbye.” Lin Qianyu’s face was glowing, with no trace of wear from the rainforest ordeal. In fact, she looked healthier and more beautiful than when she first arrived—back then she had seemed pale and frail, like she’d be blown over by the wind.
Hang Sisi had teary eyes. Though her performance in the show wasn’t stellar, she had toughed it out day by day. Now that it was over, there was no way she could leave without feeling emotional.
She opened her mouth, her throat tight, and spoke with a slight choke, “Goodbye.”
Yin Youlin’s expression was calm. “Goodbye.”
Guo Yanpeng hadn’t planned on saying anything sentimental. He simply waved and headed straight onto the plane.
【Aaaah! This is the first time I’ve followed a variety show all the way from beginning to end.】
【Tearing up... they didn’t even say anything touching, so why do I want to cry so badly?】
【Looking forward to the next meeting!】
【I’ve already pulled up the replay and plan to rewatch from episode one.】
...
Amid the reluctant, nostalgic comments flooding in, Su Yuxing ended the livestream.
Even the now-ended stream, which should have gone dark, switched to a screen marked: Episode One of “Wilderness” — Complete.Lin Qianyu watched the staff steadily loading things onto the plane. Thinking of something, she asked, “Mr. Feng didn’t come?”
Su Yuxing replied, “No. Mr. Feng said that during the livestream he was mostly restreaming your feed, so it doesn’t count as officially participating in the first episode, and there’s no need for a farewell. He’ll follow the regular process once he formally joins in the second episode.”
“You’ve worked hard during this time.” Su Yuxing sighed. After offering some comfort, he added seriously, “Next time someone brings up the script, just say it was written by the planning team. Don’t say I wrote it, okay?”
The planner nearby, helping move chairs: “?”
You’re a real piece of work.
Lin Qianyu burst out laughing. “Alright, you get back to work. I’m heading off.”
Su Yuxing waved. “See you next time.”
“Mm, see you.” After speaking, Lin Qianyu turned around, already thinking about which way to go.
She wondered if there was a shortcut.
Actually, if she went down the mountain and circled around from the other side, she could cut the walking time in half.
Thinking this, Lin Qianyu suddenly stopped in her tracks.
It seemed… this was pretty close to the artificial bamboo grove that Feng Jingye had mentioned to her.
Might as well go check out the bamboo forest first and bring back some fresh bamboo to make bamboo tube rice.
She just didn’t know if she’d run into the giant panda again. The bamboo grove wasn’t that close to the meadow where she’d seen the panda before, and pandas moved slowly—maybe it hadn’t even made it back yet.
Lin Qianyu adjusted the hiking backpack on her back. The production team had left, and many supplies weren’t taken away, including the hiking packs.
It was pretty sturdy—just right for carrying bamboo.
Her phone had been charging earlier while she waited for Guo Yanpeng to come down. She hadn’t waited for it to fully charge before leaving, so Feng Jingye’s assistant had given her a fully charged replacement phone.
As she walked, Lin Qianyu took photos along the way.
The trees here weren’t so dense as to block out the sky, but still lush and green—it felt more like an ordinary forest.
Climbing up a slope, she spotted some bamboo leaves and leapt down from the rocky ledge jutting out from the cliff, landing steadily, one jump after another.
“Look, the bamboo’s growing really well here.” As soon as she said it, Lin Qianyu paused.
She was so used to livestreaming that whenever she saw something interesting, she instinctively wanted to share it with her viewers.
...
...
Lin Qianyu’s livestream had a high number of real-time viewers.
Even though the official account had already announced that the first season of Wilderness had wrapped, many people still hadn’t left the stream.
【I had her livestream running nearly 24/7. Even if I wasn’t watching, I kept it on. Now there’s nothing to watch, and my heart feels so empty.】
【Even food doesn’t taste good anymore!】
【Wuwuwu... Lin-jie said she’d do surprise livestreams, but she usually logs off right on schedule. I’m starting to think she just says she’ll stream after work to keep us happy.】
【Can’t see Lin-jie’s 3:56:27 moment anymore.】The comments were flying nonstop. Even without a host present, fans were chatting with each other in the livestream room.
Just as everyone was happily chatting away, the supposedly ended livestream suddenly lit up with a new image.
A reddish-brown red panda curled its tail around itself, while another red panda spread its arms, mouth opening and closing repeatedly, letting out continuous “ao-woo” sounds.
Red pandas are different from giant pandas—one belongs to the bear family, the other to the red panda family. There’s quite a big difference.
They look like oversized, rounder cats, also living in bamboo forests. Their fur is reddish-brown, with round faces and white markings, black limbs, and fluffy bushy tails.
—“The two red pandas are having an argument.”
Lin Qianyu’s voice appeared in the livestream, though viewers could only see the red pandas—not a trace of her figure.
【?! My god! Is this for real? She’s really live again!】
【Feels like a dream, wahhh I just jumped three feet in the air to celebrate.】
【Lin-jie is actually this hardworking?! I’ve misjudged you orz…】
Rather than an argument, it was more like an impolite discussion—one would speak, then after it finished, the other would respond.
Back and forth, sentence after sentence—if Lin Qianyu couldn’t understand what they were saying, the scene would just look like two animals having a casual chat.
Lin Qianyu noticed one of the red pandas only had one hind leg. Even so, it still propped itself up on a bamboo stalk with its forearms and stood firmly on its one leg, not losing an ounce of presence.
Though she deliberately kept her voice low, the bamboo forest was too quiet. The sharp-eared animal twitched its ears and looked over warily.
Lin Qianyu curved her eyes into a friendly smile and greeted, “Hi.”
Seeing a human here didn’t surprise the red pandas at all. Instead, they calmly turned back and resumed bickering.
This place was essentially a paradise humans had built for rescued animals. They often saw people, so it wasn’t strange that they weren’t startled.
Lin Qianyu opened her backpack and rummaged around until she pulled out a box of pre-cut fruit, holding it out toward the red pandas. “Tired from arguing? Want something to eat?”
The fruit box came with yogurt—when poured in, it became fruit salad.
Since fruit soaked in yogurt too long can get watery and affect the flavor, the rescue station always stored them separately. When it’s time to eat, you just pour it in.
Lin Qianyu didn’t pour in the yogurt—just offered the fruit, which was safe for animals too.
Seeing that they didn’t move, she added, “Come on, don’t be shy.”
The one-legged red panda looked around, saw no others nearby, then turned a very startled gaze toward Lin Qianyu upon hearing her speak. “Wuu?”
“Yes, I’m talking to you,” Lin Qianyu earnestly answered its question. She shook the fruit box a little. “Want a taste? The fruits are super fresh.”
To prove she wasn’t bluffing, Lin Qianyu picked up a piece of apple with a toothpick and took a bite—cold, crisp, and delicious.
The two red pandas stopped their argument and stared at each other. Their small black eyes blinked at one another, and it was unclear whether any conclusion had been reached in their silent exchange.
Perhaps they were concentrating too hard on their “conversation,” because they didn’t even notice Lin Qianyu walking closer.
“Ah—!”
Her sudden approach startled both red pandas into standing upright with arms wide open.
“Don’t be scared,” Lin Qianyu stopped just under half a meter away and pushed the fruit box toward them.It seemed the red pandas sensed that Lin Qianyu meant no harm.
The fluffed-up red panda froze for a moment, gradually relaxing, but still didn’t reach for the fruit.
Being cautious and guarded was a good thing for small animals.
Especially for injured ones. From how they didn’t give a warning when they first saw a human but fluffed up only after the human got closer, it showed that the red pandas understood humans had helped them.
Maybe it was humans who hurt them too—hence the wariness and refusal to let anyone approach.
Lin Qianyu looked at the one-legged red panda and the other with only one ear and sighed quietly in her heart. “If you two don’t want to eat, I’ll help myself then.”
When communicating with animals, it’s best to keep the tone light.
They may not understand the exact meaning of the words, but they can pick up on the tone.
【Ah—how did they get hurt like this? Aren’t red pandas an endangered species?】
【Though they’re injured, they still look lively and alert. Guess that’s a small blessing amidst the misfortune.】
【Tsk, poachers deserve the worst!】
【Drag Xie Yifei out and flog his corpse! Scum!】
...
Red pandas are very timid. When in danger, they’ll climb trees and even use their tails to cover their faces.
Lin Qianyu watched the two red pandas, who clearly wanted to approach but didn’t dare, and silently sat cross-legged on the ground, eating with apparent relish.
She looked like she was taking big bites, but in reality, she only nibbled a tiny bit—she made one slice of apple last five or six bites.
After a while, one red panda timidly stretched out its paw and pulled over a piece of apple from the edge.
The other did the same—its fluffy little paw struggling a few times in the box before finally fishing out a piece.
After eating bamboo and bamboo leaves for so long, the fresh fruit made both furry creatures very happy. They eagerly brought the fruit to their mouths.
Seeing them eat, Lin Qianyu stopped.
There was only so much fruit in one box—a mixed selection of several types. It was the only one she had in her backpack, so every piece they ate meant one less.
She wanted to save it for the red pandas.
The red pandas squinted with delight as they chewed on the sweet fruit, their little mouths crunching nonstop.
Their chewing sped up more and more.
But once it finished the piece in its paw, the one-legged red panda shyly wiped its paw on its belly and didn’t reach for more.
Lin Qianyu used a toothpick to skewer two strawberries. “Here—one each.”
Cultivated strawberries are much bigger than wild raspberries—large, red, and very sweet.
The red pandas’ eyes lit up, clearly in disbelief. Trembling, they stretched out their paws and gently hugged the fruit. “Ah!”
Lin Qianyu mimicked its sound, smiling as she echoed, “Ah!”
Hugging the big strawberry, the red panda ate even more happily.【Don’t red pandas usually wash their food in water before eating?】
【Sis, that’s raccoons.】
【So cute, they look like little fluffy forest spirits, sob sob sob… The island owner is really such a good person. He’s genuinely found people to take care of the animals.】
【I’ve decided. Next time Big Orange beats up the island owner, I won’t cheer for Big Orange anymore. Let them compete fairly.】
【Wow, even the UN doesn’t have as much authority as you.】
“So cute, right?” Lin Qianyu said, then suddenly coughed lightly and pinched her throat with two fingers, feeling a bit of discomfort. She opened a bottle of mineral water.
The walk up had made her a bit thirsty, and she drank nearly half the bottle in one go.
“Doing nothing, just sitting here watching the little animals eat—it feels like the exhaustion slowly melts away.” Lin Qianyu propped her chin with one hand, smiling as she watched the two little ones.
Furry little creatures were naturally healing to the heart.
One of the red pandas, focused on eating its strawberry, noticed Lin Qianyu’s gaze and looked up, squinting its eyes at her.
Lin Qianyu was briefly stunned. “It just smiled at me.”
Her smile deepened.
“Want some dried fruit? I’ve got dried peaches.” Lin Qianyu hadn’t dried any herself, but the rescue center had given her some.
Both plain and honey-coated varieties.
Everyone at the rescue center knew she liked feeding small animals when she was out, so they always prepared a special batch safe for animals to eat.
Perfect to open a few packs for the red pandas.
Dried fruit has a different texture from fresh fruit. Lin Qianyu first opened a pack for them to try.
She herself picked one coated in honey—more than just plain honey, the outer layer had hardened like a shell, and chewing into it felt a bit like eating a candied peach.
As she took a bite, Lin Qianyu thought, “This method would probably be great with hawthorn too.”
“You two go ahead and eat. I’m gonna go cut some bamboo.” Lin Qianyu stood up with a piece of dried fruit in her mouth and walked toward the edge of the bamboo grove, cutting from the outer area.
She picked stalks of suitable thickness and said, “If only there were shoots. Freshly picked young bamboo shoots are the best.”
Lin Qianyu only cut two stalks. The bamboo here was tall, and even just a few segments from the middle would be enough to make several bamboo rice tubes.
Plus, the bamboo tubes used for cooking could be reused, so there was no need to cut too much—especially since the journey back wasn’t short, and carrying them herself wouldn’t be light work.
Lin Qianyu measured the length of the bamboo with her hands. “This managed environment should only include some cultivated bamboo. Most of it’s probably focused on air purification and temperature control.”
After staying in the rainforest for a while, walking over here revealed a noticeable temperature change.
Red pandas can tolerate extreme cold but can’t stay in environments above 25°C for too long.
Many poachers, after capturing red pandas, don’t regulate the temperature, causing them to die painfully from heat.
The bamboo forest here was very well temperature-controlled. Though Lin Qianyu didn’t know how they managed it, it was a temperature red pandas could tolerate.
Besides, some of the bamboo here clearly hadn’t grown this big in just a short time.
Rainforest environments are naturally ideal for bamboo, so it was probably an improved habitat built on top of an original bamboo forest.“If nothing unexpected happens, the giant panda should also live here, but I don’t know when it’ll come back.” Lin Qianyu sat down a bit farther away from the red pandas to avoid startling them with the noise of chopping bamboo.
She struck below each bamboo joint using a cleaver meant for cutting large bones. As long as the movement was swift, there was no need to worry about the bamboo splitting.
She then scraped the edges with a small knife to remove any fine splinters, in case they pricked her fingers while pouring in the rice later.
The prepared bamboo tubes were neatly stacked into her backpack. When she looked up, one of the red pandas peeked out cautiously from behind a rock.
“Hmm?” Lin Qianyu asked softly when she noticed. “You finished eating?”
The red panda blinked timidly and whimpered, “Mmm…”
“Want some more dried fruit? I’ll bring you fresh fruit next time, alright?” Everything in Lin Qianyu’s backpack had come from the rescue center. She’d finished the watermelon that morning. If she’d known she’d run into red pandas here, she would’ve brought more.
Even just having dried fruit made the red pandas happy.
Their teeth could chew through tender bamboo shoots, so dried fruit—while a bit tough—wasn’t hard for them to eat.
After being fed multiple times, the red pandas visibly began to let down their guard around Lin Qianyu.
Feng Jingye: 【These two red pandas are extremely timid. We had staff deliver food to them before, but they always hid. They’re easily stressed, so we switched to delivering food at night, but even spoiled food they wouldn’t touch. We tried several strategies, but once we noticed they seemed ready to move away, we gave up.】
A message from Feng Jingye arrived on her phone. After a pause, another followed: 【They really trust you.】
Communication is the foundation of everything.
Think about it: if a group of people different from you suddenly appeared, speaking a language you didn’t understand, would you dare eat the food they handed you?
But Lin Qianyu could actually communicate with them.
Even if they didn’t look alike, the ability to communicate made them unfamiliar kin.
“Mhm.” Lin Qianyu curved her lips slightly and said seriously, “I won’t betray that trust.”
The red pandas huddled together, eating dried fruit.
Lin Qianyu packed up all the bamboo. To make bamboo tube rice, the bamboo had to be fresh—not too old, but also not too tender.
She saved the very tender end piece she’d cut for the red pandas to eat.
The bamboo filled her hiking pack perfectly and wasn’t too heavy. She had calculated the amount just right.
She tore off the leaves at the top and stacked them neatly inside—these could be used to seal the ends of the bamboo tubes. Aluminum foil worked too, but using local materials was more convenient.
With that in mind, Lin Qianyu got up to start gathering bamboo leaves.
But when she turned around, she saw that the bamboo leaves she’d dragged loose along the way had already been collected.
The red panda missing a leg had gathered the leaves into a pile, while the other had stacked the fallen ones and was carrying them back.
As it turned its head and saw a rock behind the bamboo, it got startled and instinctively opened its arms—sending the bamboo leaves scattering.
Realizing it was just a rock, the red panda clearly breathed a sigh of relief. It then carefully picked up the leaves again and continued running, holding them close.
As the fluffy red panda ran, its tail swayed with each step.
When it noticed Lin Qianyu watching, it grew shy and nearly tripped over its own feet—but steadied itself just in time.
“Mmm!” The red panda raised the bamboo leaves it was holding high, its dark eyes filled with Lin Qianyu’s reflection.【Take it!!! The light in the child’s eyes, ahhh! It’s actually helping you on its own!】
【So cute, those timid little eyes are melting my heart.】
【I’d just scoop one in each arm and bring them both home.】
【Mm, so cute, too cute.】
...
The red panda stuffed the bamboo leaves into Lin Qianyu’s backpack until it was completely full.
Lin Qianyu thought for a moment, then gave it two segments of tender bamboo she’d cut earlier. “Here, this is for you.”
The red panda hugged the large piece of tender bamboo, stunned for a moment. Seeing that, Lin Qianyu quietly raised her hand.
She didn’t deliberately hide the movement—the red panda could see what she was doing—but it simply watched, making no move to flee.
Not until Lin Qianyu’s hand landed gently on its head did the slow-reacting little one stiffen in surprise.
“Good girl.” Lin Qianyu even lowered her voice as much as possible, afraid of startling the red panda.
After gently patting its head, she withdrew her hand. “Alright, I should go now. You all have fun.”
She hadn’t kept track of the time while staying here. It was only when she noticed the change in light and looked up that she realized it was nearly dark.
She still had to go back and cook the bamboo rice.
“Do you know the giant panda? It should live here too.” Lin Qianyu used bamboo leaves to wrap over a dozen packs of dried fruit. “If you see it, help me give this to it.”
The red panda hugged the leaves and nodded obediently. “Mmm!”
“Good girl.” Lin Qianyu left a portion for the red pandas too. Though they’d likely already eaten enough, just in case they digested quickly, she left it there for them to eat later if they got hungry.
Dried fruit lasts quite a while—unlike fresh fruit, she didn’t need to worry about spoilage.
Leaving the dried fruit behind, Lin Qianyu dusted off her backpack, slung it over her shoulders, and headed home.
“I was hoping I might run into the giant panda, but it wasn’t home.” As she walked out of the bamboo forest, Lin Qianyu spoke to her livestream viewers. “Seems like there aren’t many animals around here, probably because of frequent human activity.”
Since there was a red panda with a disability to care for, even if they didn’t show up, it wasn’t like releasing a healthy predator into the wild—someone had to check on them every few days.
【More frequent is better. Wild red pandas can’t protect themselves—anything can happen.】
【If they’re with the giant panda, predators probably won’t act rashly.】
【LOL, they could just team up and overwhelm their enemies with cuteness.】
Lin Qianyu stretched. “Once I get back and finish making the bamboo rice, I’m heading straight to bed. So this livestream—”
【???】
【I just got here.】
The stream had started suddenly—Lin Qianyu just wanted to share the red pandas’ little squabble.
The walk home was boring and uneventful—not really worth streaming.
The livestream camera, still on, happened to catch a red panda in the bamboo forest peeking up and down from behind a rock.Lin Qianyu paused and turned around, wanting to say goodbye, but the two red pandas reacted like startled birds, instantly and simultaneously darting back behind the rock.
It was a purely instinctive reaction. Once they realized the human nearby wouldn’t hurt them, the next moment, they poked their heads out again.
Lin Qianyu couldn’t help it—she smiled and shook her head, waving at them. “Bye-bye.”
Just as she turned back around and reached to end the livestream, before her fingertip could touch the switch, the phone in her pocket suddenly rang.
The phone had been given to her by her assistant, and the SIM card wasn’t hers either. In theory, only the assistant should know this number.
But there was no caller ID.
After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Qianyu answered. “Hello?”
“Hi! It’s me—Kevin, do you remember me?” Kevin’s enthusiastic voice came through the receiver as soon as the call connected.
They’d met not long ago, so of course Lin Qianyu remembered. “Mm, hello.”
“My daughter ran off again, I’m really worried,” Kevin spoke rapidly. “I checked the place she ran to last time, but didn’t find her. Do you know where that leopard cat is? I’d like to ask it for help again.”
The leopard cat Kevin referred to was the grumpy, foul-mouthed spotted leopard cat that had helped him find his daughter last time.
Lin Qianyu had only gotten involved at the end, when Kevin came to offer a reward. She hadn’t been there for the whole thing, so naturally she didn’t know where the spotted leopard cat had gone.
“I don’t know, but I haven’t seen any leopard cats in the areas I’ve been active in,” Lin Qianyu replied. “You could try the parts I haven’t been to yet.”
With predators roaming in groups, it would be normal for the spotted leopard cat to stay away.
Kevin suddenly sighed. “I already searched everywhere. She’s gone, OMG… I can’t even imagine what kind of life she’s living out there. Can you help me think of something? I can pay you double. She’ll die out there.”
As she spoke with him on the phone, Lin Qianyu started walking back. “Calm down first. How did she get out?”
“I went to work and locked her in the house. When I came back and saw she was gone, I checked the security footage—turns out she unlocked the door herself and ran out!” Kevin’s voice was full of disbelief.
Lin Qianyu: “……”
Comments on the stream:
【…Hahaha! Is—is this what I think it is?】
【Grumpy leopard cat: You don’t even know how to open a door? Come here, I’ll teach you. Freedom lies beyond that door.】
【Good news: learned a new skill. Bad news: now it opens the door and runs away for no reason. Worse news: this spotted leopard cat has no sense of direction.】
Kevin thought about it and felt a sharp pang in his chest. He’d raised this spotted leopard cat since it was little—its weight, its habits, what it was good at—he knew it all.
Aside from eating and sleeping, it didn’t have any real skills. He had no clue when it learned how to pick locks.
Kevin was practically choking up. His daughter had picked up a new skill and didn’t even tell her old dad. “I’ve looked everywhere. I really don’t know what else to do.”
Lin Qianyu didn’t have any great ideas either. Since Kevin said he’d searched already, that probably included all the island’s surveillance cameras.
What could help find a leopard cat in a vast rainforest besides technology?
Lin Qianyu considered it. “How about this—do you have any of your daughter’s daily-use items? Like a little shirt or something? Bring it, I’ll ask the animals to help you search.”
If tech wasn’t working, they’d have to rely on the keen noses of the fluffier residents.
“Okay! Wait for me, I’ll be right there.” Kevin’s voice seemed to move away from the receiver, then a moment later came back, “I’m watching your livestream. Should I come to your current location?”
Lin Qianyu wasn’t near any distinctive plants that could be used as landmarks, so finding her exact spot wouldn’t be easy. “Head to the cave area—I’m walking back too. We should get there around the same time. When you arrive, I’ll be there too.”"Okay!"
Not even bothering to hang up, Kevin grabbed his phone and bolted.
"Kevin? Kevin!" Lin Qianyu called out twice, got no response, and ended the call.
"Alright, folks, the stream continues. New mission received—main quest: Find the spotted leopard cat and bring it back." Lin Qianyu snapped her fingers. "Let’s go."
Lin Qianyu still underestimated Kevin’s anxiety.
She had timed it so they’d arrive around the same time. She even picked up her pace deliberately, but when she reached the platform, Kevin was already there, clearly having arrived quite a while ago.
He didn’t even show the slightest sign of being out of breath or adjusting his breathing.
Lin Qianyu hurried over. "Have you been waiting long?"
Kevin’s face was flushed, heat still radiating from his sprint. He shook his head. "Just got here."
"Are you holding your breath?" Lin Qianyu noticed his breathing was irregular, like he was forcibly suppressing it.
Kevin stared straight ahead. "I-I don’t dare to breathe."
Lin Qianyu: "…"
"Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you." Nearby, Lin Qianyu petted a leopard’s head, then opened its mouth right in front of Kevin and even placed her own wrist into the leopard’s mouth.
The leopard didn’t bite her—it gently licked the back of her hand instead.
Lin Qianyu said, "See? They’re all very gentle animals. Just treat them normally."
Kevin felt like he couldn’t stay calm even if he wanted to. Sure, he knew the predators wouldn’t attack, but having their sharp beast eyes fixed on him like that—he didn’t even dare breathe, let alone relax.
"I’m calm," Kevin said, his voice almost trembling. "This is my daughter’s clothing. She doesn’t like wearing it, so the scent might be faint. It’s all I have. Is that okay?"
"Let’s try." Lin Qianyu took the small piece of clothing. "Alright, Huahua, Little Bear, Little Carving, Big Orange, Little Wolf—everyone come smell this."
When it came to finding the leopard cat, the little chevrotain showed surprising enthusiasm, elbowing its way through the fluffballs to get a spot.
Unfortunately, while its sense of smell was better than a human’s, it didn’t hold a candle to the others.
After sniffing around for a while with no reaction, it flicked its tail with a puzzled "Yoo?" and wandered off to eat grass.
Maybe the scent was too unusual—at least not something commonly found in the animals’ territory.
"No familiar smell?" Lin Qianyu handed the clothes back to Kevin. As she raised her hand, a strong fragrance hit her nose. "Cough, cough… Don’t tell me you sprayed perfume on the clothes?"
Kevin’s eyes lit up. "Oh, you noticed? It’s a very niche brand from my country—"
Lin Qianyu: "Stop."
Kevin choked and immediately shut up.
"Is that all? Nothing else?" This wasn’t looking promising.
"Would a photo help?" Kevin didn’t have anything else but had tons of photos. His leopard cat was very clean, never made a mess, and even bathed itself daily.
Lin Qianyu wasn’t sure it would help, but it was something. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."
"Alright, little ones, look at this photo of the leopard cat. See the markings? And remember the scent from earlier. If you spot anything similar, bring it back," Lin Qianyu held the photo up for the big tiger and the rest to see.
After saying that, she suddenly thought of something and quickly added, "Make sure to bring it back alive—don’t hurt it."【Without that line, this would’ve turned into a rainforest manhunt tragedy.】
【What Lin Qianyu said: Bring it back. What the fluffballs heard: I want to eat the leopard cat.】
【Hahaha damn, solid interpretation. What if they bring back several at once? They’re always worried Sister Lin doesn’t eat enough.】
“Alright, if you remember, let’s head out,” Lin Qianyu said. “I’ll go look with them. You stay here at the cave and wait.”
“I’ll go search too. More people... more animals, more power,” Kevin said as he walked. “I’ll send you the photos. If you run into any animals on the way, show them too. If they find her, I’ll reward them as well.”
After sending several photos, Kevin suddenly looked up, his gaze resolute. “I’m very rich.”
Lin Qianyu: “?”
Whether or not he was rich was one thing—he sure looked like someone easy to scam.
Before leaving the cave, Lin Qianyu asked, “Does your daughter have a name?”
Kevin said, “Gelinlan.”
Because the scent was faint, it was hard to locate her with just the photo.
They had to split up. The little chevrotain and fledgling were told to stay on the cave platform and not wander off.
Lin Qianyu headed up the mountain.
She planned to circle the spot where she’d found the spotted leopard cat last time. Maybe when Kevin went there, the cat happened to be out, and now it might’ve returned.
Honestly, putting aside the danger, the time right before sunset in the rainforest was actually quite beautiful.
Lin Qianyu walked on grass bathed in soft sunlight. The view ahead was wide and clear—but there was no sign of the spotted leopard cat.
Not even Gelinlan, nor any wild spotted leopard cats.
Could it be that, after the mix-up where the cat was mistakenly taken to the rescue center as Gelinlan, it now avoided this area altogether?
“Roar—!”
A low growl came from afar, and soon the figure of Big Orange appeared before her.
“What is it, Big Orange?” Lin Qianyu placed a hand on its furry head. “Did you find Gelinlan?”
The big tiger didn’t answer—just rubbed against her and tugged at her clothes to lead her away.
“You really found her?”
That gesture was all the answer she needed.
The big tiger lowered its body. “Roar…”
Lin Qianyu didn’t know where Gelinlan was, so she let Big Orange lead the way. Half-hugging its neck, she messaged Kevin to come quickly.
She didn’t know if Kevin was watching her stream—there was lag in the chat, so messaging was more reliable.
Without waiting for a reply, she put her phone away.
As Big Orange slowed down, she propped herself up with one hand on its back and saw something darting out in the distance—sprinting in the opposite direction of the tiger.
“Gelinlan?!”Judging by how it bolted in panic, this clearly wasn’t the bad-tempered leopard cat that just looked like Gelinlan—it was Gelinlan.
As soon as she moved, the big tiger sped up too. Leopard cats are agile, and once they slip out of sight, it’s hard to find them again.
Lin Qianyu took the chance to shout, “Stop running, Gelinlan! Kevin sent us to find you!”
Upon hearing the shout, Gelinlan ran even harder, putting so much effort into it even her tail seemed to be working overtime.
Lin Qianyu: “……”
Negotiation failed.
【Leopard Cat: What house cat can relate to this? Someone’s chasing me on a tiger and yelling at me not to run. Only a dumb cat wouldn’t run!】
【Hahaha it’s tragic, but on the bright side, after this, she probably won’t dare sneak out again.】
【That leopard cat’s never run this fast in her life—her paws are probably shooting sparks.】
Author's note: 20,000 characters! Please continue to feed me nutrient solution, mwah~!
Good night, sleep early, love you all.