Chapter 52
Chapter 52
[Bonus Chapter with Nutrient Solution Support]
“So many wolf cubs.”
Before Lin Qianyu could react, the steppe wolf had already jumped down from the mound and was sprinting toward her.
In that moment, Lin Qianyu didn’t care about anything else. She casually dropped her backpack and ran toward the steppe wolf.
“Awooo!”
As it got close, the steppe wolf leapt into the air. Lin Qianyu raised her arms and caught it in a full embrace, spinning around twice with the momentum. “Haha... long time no see, little wolf.”
The steppe wolf landed on its hind legs and jumped up to rub against her. “Awoo!”
Lin Qianyu patted its strong back and waist. Muscles had started to become visible—it looked much healthier now that it was back in its familiar environment. The steppe wolf was clearly in high spirits. “That’s wonderful.”
She had cared for it from the time when it was all skin and bones. Seeing it like this now moved Lin Qianyu deeply.
She couldn’t resist grabbing the little wolf and petting it over and over.
She really wanted to show everyone: Look, this is the steppe wolf I raised. Isn’t it amazing?
I’m talking about the steppe wolf.
Lin Qianyu pointed to the group of steppe wolves in the distance, who wanted to come closer but were hesitant, and asked, “Are they your new friends?”
“Awooo...” The steppe wolf kept rubbing against her like a long-lost friend reunited, using touch to express its excitement.
It couldn’t care less about the other wolves—its eyes and heart were full of Lin Qianyu.
[That soft whining sound is way too cute.]
[Especially when a strong steppe wolf acts like a pup and gets all cuddly with you—who can resist that contrast?]
[But seriously, with that many wolves around, does no one care about the furry-headed mound?]
[Most wolf packs have seven members. Some family-based packs can reach over thirty, but that’s rare. The wolves little wolf brought seem to be around six or seven.]
...
When Lin Qianyu had put little wolf on the plane back to the steppe, she had added the rescue center staff's contact info.
But the steppe wolf hadn’t been implanted with a tracker. After a couple of days adapting at the center, it was released back into the wild.
Once released, tracking the steppe wolf became much harder. There were also many lone wolves on the steppe that had been driven out of their packs.
The cameras on the steppe were set high up, and any lone wolf caught on camera could only be identified as “a wolf”—no other details could be seen, so they couldn’t confirm if it was little wolf.
So, Lin Qianyu didn’t know much about little wolf’s situation after its release.
The rescue center also had no updates.
She naturally didn’t know what was going on with the pack either.
The steppe wolves in the distance also climbed down from the mound. They didn’t run over right away but crouched low to the ground, inching forward cautiously in a creeping motion.
The closest steppe wolf narrowed its eyes and wagged its tail in a friendly way.
Aside from the fur color, this really looked like a group of huskies.The steppe wolf also noticed them approaching and bit Lin Qianyu’s clothes, tugging her backward. “Awoo…”
“Hm?” Lin Qianyu followed its lead and couldn’t help asking, “What is it?”
The steppe wolf let out a bark in the direction of the pack.
The wolves that had been scrabbling toward Lin Qianyu on all fours paused, then stood up and raised their heads: “Awooo!”
It was as if they were responding, then they scattered.
Seeing them change so quickly, Lin Qianyu let out a light laugh and patted the little wolf’s head. “Where are you taking me?”
“Awoo!” The little wolf didn’t answer, just picked up the backpack she had dropped and walked ahead to lead the way.
Lin Qianyu said, “Looks like little wolf came across something interesting.”
The steppe wolf took a few steps, then turned back to see Lin Qianyu hadn’t caught up. Still holding the pack in its mouth, it gave a muffled call: “Awoo…”
“Coming!” Lin Qianyu hurried to catch up with a jog.
The destination was a bit far.
With little wolf leading the way, Lin Qianyu wasn’t in a rush. She even had time to chat and asked, “Little wolf, how did you know I was here?”
“Awoo…”
“Another wolf told you?” Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow, suddenly reminded of the howl she’d heard earlier while boarding the bus.
[Well well, did little wolf already plant informants on the director’s side or what.]
[So... while Sister Lin was still wondering how to find little wolf, little wolf had already locked onto her location and dashed all the way here?]
[Wow, wow, little wolf already has its own intelligence network.]
“I wonder how little wolf got to know those wolves—it feels like it’s their leader.” She paused, then pondered, “But... can an outsider wolf become the leader of a local pack?”
It was complicated, and Lin Qianyu wasn’t sure.
After all, little wolf had been rescued from a zoo, and there was no way to trace its original pack. Coming here to the steppe island made it an outsider.
Bai Zhao: [Its main area of activity now is the wolf pack you just saw. The other wolves recognize it as their leader, but this steppe wolf itself doesn’t seem to enjoy acting with the pack.]
The rescue center staff accounts had moderator badges added by the show, so Bai Zhao’s message popped up pinned in the bullet chat on Lin Qianyu’s smartwatch.
Lin Qianyu noticed the message and paused in her steps. “You know about this?”
Bai Zhao: [We’ve also been monitoring abnormal wolf pack activity. We thought this one was strange at the time, just assumed it was a former alpha driven out by another pack, didn’t connect it to little wolf, so we didn’t tell you.]
No one would’ve imagined that a steppe wolf not yet fully integrated into the environment would openly appear in another pack’s hunting territory, hunt right in front of them, and then, when besieged, take on six wolves alone.
That was pretty bold.
If Lin Qianyu hadn’t spun around hugging the steppe wolf today, and Bai Zhao hadn’t recognized one of the wolves trailing behind it as one with distinct features from previous footage, he might still not have realized that the steppe wolf they’d monitored before was the same one they’d just recently rescued.
Bai Zhao posted a full explanation in the bullet chat.
Lin Qianyu nodded. “Then little wolf’s pretty impressive.”
The little wolf, leading the way without looking back, wagged its tail even harder.Bai Zhao: [This pack is mostly made up of lone wolves who’ve left their original groups. They aren’t related by blood and completely follow strength. Maybe little wolf beat them into submission, so they let him be the wolf king.]
Wolves are a very resilient and united species.
In a blood-related pack, only wolves with inherited lineage can challenge the alpha, and only by winning can they succeed as leader. If the alpha is killed by an outsider, the pack will avenge them.
Little wolf, wandering the steppe alone, encountered this pack of similarly solitary wolves that had gathered together—and ended up fighting them.
The scattered pack, which originally had no alpha, ended up following little wolf.
Bai Zhao: [But little wolf never agreed to it. He always seemed resistant to their following. Later on, for some unknown reason, he accepted it. We kept monitoring, but didn’t find out why.]
Lin Qianyu nodded thoughtfully. “Little wolf definitely has the strength to be wolf king. Maybe he figured things out later.”
As she spoke, Lin Qianyu didn’t notice where they had arrived.
A gust of wind blew past her, and only then did she look up. Little wolf placed her backpack beside her. “Awoo!”
Wait.
After letting out a bark, he rushed off.
“Little wolf wants me to wait for him a bit.” Lin Qianyu looked around—there was no shade nearby, so she sat down on the spot, plucked some grass, and decided to weave herself a hat.
On such a vast steppe, walking around without sunscreen risked getting sunburnt.
Hat weaving was slow. Lin Qianyu twisted the grass absentmindedly. “The director said there’s a lake nearby. Little wolf should know where it is… I’ll check it out later. If it’s a good spot, I’ll rest there for the night, then plan the rest.”
She looped the grass twice around her fingers. From far off, Lin Qianyu saw little wolf dart into a burrow. It was covered by a patch of green grass, so she couldn’t see how deep it was.
“Awoo—!”
In the distance, an unfamiliar steppe wolf—who had been pacing around, seemingly about to head for the burrow—suddenly stopped in its tracks and stared at Lin Qianyu warily.
“Did I just walk into its territory?” Lin Qianyu straightened up instinctively. But if little wolf came here, then this should be little wolf’s territory.
Before she could sort it out, the unfamiliar steppe wolf began to approach slowly, growling a warning from its throat. Its teeth were bared, sharp canines gleaming, back arched high, looking extremely aggressive.
Lin Qianyu explained, “It’s a misunderstanding.”
The unfamiliar steppe wolf paused for a moment at those words but immediately reverted to its fierce expression, its sharp eyes locked on her like she was prey.
“Awoo!”
Leave.
The unfamiliar steppe wolf barked repeatedly, not attacking but clearly urging Lin Qianyu to leave.
Seeing this, Lin Qianyu understood. “It’s probably the wolf left behind to guard the territory while the pack is out hunting.”
That wolf was still bristling.
Little wolf had already crawled back out of the burrow.
The moment the unfamiliar steppe wolf saw little wolf, it seemed stunned, and while still staring at Lin Qianyu, it shifted sideways toward little wolf.
However, little wolf didn’t even glance at it—he ran joyfully straight to Lin Qianyu.
The unfamiliar steppe wolf: “???”【Pfft—hahaha so this wolf does know little wolf, right?】
【Stranger wolf: Go! Get out! You can’t stay in our territory—Boss! Watch me chase her off… wait, what, now you’re cuddling her? Hugging?? Hey! Stop licking the boss!】
【First time I’ve ever seen panic on a wolf’s face.】
The unfamiliar steppe wolf glanced left and right, making three fake movements in a second. Its awkwardness was practically written all over its face—finally, it just lowered its head and gnawed on some grass.
When humans get embarrassed, they scratch their heads or ears. Steppe wolves do it too: they’ll paw the ground, lie down then stand back up, circle around like they’re super busy.
Protecting its own territory was totally normal.
Especially now, seeing that steppe wolf looking like it wanted to dig a hole and bury itself out of embarrassment.
Lin Qianyu had to try really hard not to laugh out loud.
Little wolf looked up, confused. “Whine?”
“Mm, nothing. What did you just go do?” Lin Qianyu withdrew her gaze and gave little wolf’s ears a rub.
“Awoo—!” Little wolf turned his head.
Lin Qianyu followed his gaze—and saw a fluffy, round, pudgy furball not even the length of an adult’s forearm crawl out from the burrow little wolf had entered earlier.
Right after that, three more followed, jostling and squeezing, wobbling their way out.
—Wolf pups!
Each of them, even when standing, wasn’t as tall as little wolf. These undeveloped pups didn’t have the sharp, deadly aura of adult wolves—they looked more like fuzzy potatoes, the kind that would squeak and flop around helplessly when pet.
Lin Qianyu: “!!!”
Danmaku: 【Aaaaaaaah——?!】
“So many wolf pups.” Lin Qianyu was stunned. It wasn’t until they had surrounded her that she came back to her senses. Each fluffy little pup had its tail wagging like a propeller. No sense of threat at all—they were just like little puppies.
Lin Qianyu squatted down and picked up the nearest one. She had thought it only looked round, but it was solid too. “Did you pick these up too?”
Little wolf must’ve gone into the burrow earlier to fetch these pups.
“Awo!” The steppe wolf tossed a pup it had carried from farther away at Lin Qianyu’s feet.
The pups were still in the stage where they needed protection. They were full of curiosity about the world. So when a wolf pack went hunting, someone would always stay behind to guard them.
Even though the pups couldn’t clearly sense danger, some were still cautious... stopping about ten centimeters short of Lin Qianyu—cautiously.
Surrounded by a ring of fluffy pups, Lin Qianyu couldn’t control the upward curl of her lips. “So cute.”
Aside from some baby birds and a tiny mouse-deer, she’d only ever encountered adult animals. This was her first time seeing steppe wolf pups.
She guessed, “These must be the pups from the wolf pack little wolf joined.”
After all, it wasn’t breeding season now, and the pups didn’t look newly born. If little wolf knew them, they must be from the pack.
【I think I get now why little wolf was so reluctant at first, but later agreed to join the pack.】
【Hiss—if that’s the case, maybe he saw the pups, and knew Lin-jie liked pups, so—】
【Aaaaah I can’t take it, wolves like this should be assigned to everyone! Where’s mine?!】……
Lin Qianyu clearly realized it too.
Seeing her hug the pups, little wolf couldn’t be happier—it was like he’d perfectly guessed her taste and presented her with the gift she liked most.
“Cute?” Lin Qianyu had the steppe wolf pup tucked under its front limbs in the crook of her hand, holding it up to the camera, “Doesn’t it look just like a puppy… but a bit more handsome? It feels amazing to touch—really solid too.”
Even softer to the touch.
The other pups weren’t to be outdone either, jostling and climbing all over Lin Qianyu.
In no time, her legs were covered in steppe wolf pups, with another one struggling to climb up her back.
But steppe wolf pups didn’t have the sharp hooked claws of feline cubs to grab onto clothing—this one tried really hard, but in the end could only paw at the same spot, stuck in place.
Lin Qianyu reached back and pulled it up, placing it on her lap with the rest of the pups.
The steppe wolf that had barked at Lin Qianyu earlier was now circling the area.
It looked like a leisurely stroll, but the circle subtly and gradually shrank, inching closer to the center.
Little wolf, sitting beside her, stepped forward and rested his chin on Lin Qianyu’s shoulder. Noticing the other wolf approaching, little wolf’s expression hardened.
The unfamiliar steppe wolf’s tail instantly tucked between its legs, and it turned and bolted toward the burrow, disappearing inside in a flash.
“That steppe wolf’s hind leg seems a bit…” Lin Qianyu noticed something off about one of the pups—it was more passive, not pushing or fighting for attention, just lying quietly. She reached out and touched the pup’s hind leg.
The pup glanced back when it felt the touch.
It probably didn’t hurt—otherwise, it would’ve cried out.
“Seems like it’s congenital.” One of its hind legs looked slightly bent, and compared to the others, this pup was smaller and thinner.
In the animal world, pups born with frail bodies or those deemed unlikely to survive are often abandoned.
This one’s leg bent unnaturally when walking, giving it a slightly unsteady gait.
“Hey, little one.” Lin Qianyu wiggled her fingers to get its attention. “Wanna come over here?”
The pup looked at her timidly, then slowly hopped over, bit by bit.
“Not too bad—it’s not serious. Let’s see if it can recover naturally later.” After examining it, Lin Qianyu decided not to jump to surgery—pups this young should avoid operations if possible. If natural recovery failed, they could take it to a rescue center later.
Animals have strong healing abilities. With proper food and care, it might grow up just like the others.
She played with the pups for a while. Animal pups seemed to have endless energy—completely tireless, tails wagging non-stop.
Just watching made Lin Qianyu feel exhausted for them.
“Alright, time for you all to head home.” Lin Qianyu placed the pups on the ground. “Let’s go hunting, little wolf.”
It was already afternoon before she knew it. Lin Qianyu hadn’t eaten much on the plane—just some drinks—so now she was feeling a bit hungry.
Time to find something to eat.
“Whine…” The steppe wolf nudged her, then turned as if to go hunt alone.
“I’ll come too.” Lin Qianyu stood up and brushed the grass off her clothes. She couldn’t eat the large prey the steppe wolves hunted, “Let’s go find one of those chickens or ducks the director released.”Still, it’s safer to eat the prey the production team released in advance for the guests.
【But Director Su said they didn’t release any.】
【Yeah yeah yeah, in the promo it said the grassland is full of life, and the production team didn’t stock it in advance—what you eat is entirely up to what the guests find themselves.】
Lin Qianyu: “???”
Looks like aside from the three supplies provided by the crew, there really isn’t anything else.
Compared to the rainforest experience, this is truly minimalist.
No choice but to take it slow and search.
Lin Qianyu stretched, “Should we send the pups back first? Might not be very safe to leave them out here.”
“Roar—!”
The steppe wolf in the burrow heard the voice, “Awoo!”
The pups were handed over to the other wolves for care.
Only then did Lin Qianyu pick up her backpack. “Let’s go. We’ll check out the place where you usually hunt.”
“Whine.”
The grassland was vast, but animals were scarce.
Wolves usually hunt at night, so they were rarely seen in the daytime.
“I think I hear water.” Lin Qianyu noticed a lake that seemed to appear out of nowhere in the middle of the plains. The water was clear with no green moss, and she could see fish swimming inside. The lake flowed upward like a stream feeding into it from above.
Lin Qianyu said, “I’ll try catching a few fish to eat.”
When it’s uncertain which animals are safe to eat, fish from a lake like this are the safest option.
Pick recognizable species—as long as they’re not endangered or protected, they’re fair game.
With a plan in mind, Lin Qianyu rummaged through her backpack, hoping to find something to fish with—but there were only a few scattered items, none of them usable.
There were no trees nearby, so even sharpening a branch to spear fish wasn’t an option. Lin Qianyu didn’t want to walk hours back toward the villa’s forest just to snap a branch and return to the lake.
After thinking it over, she rolled up her sleeves. Bare hands it is.
The steppe wolf wasn’t interested in the lake fish. It scanned the area, then followed the current upstream toward a slope in the distance.
Lin Qianyu placed her hand in the water, fingers slightly curled with her thumb extended. “Let me show you how to fish with your bare hands.”
The water here was unpolluted—places rarely touched by humans belonged to the animals.
There weren’t many fish-eating animals on the steppe, so the fish in the lake grew large. Just one cooked grass carp could be enough to fill her up.
“Qianyu-jie! What are you doing?” Hang Sisi and Yu Lingyu, who had struggled to find the water source, walked up and saw Lin Qianyu half-kneeling by the lake with one hand still in the water—not exactly looking like she was washing her hands.
She’d spent the whole day rushing on foot. As a veteran guest, Hang Sisi knew how critical the first day was—especially now that the difficulty had been ramped up and there were no maps. She had walked until she was out of breath and didn’t dare stop.
So she hadn’t had time to check Lin Qianyu’s livestream either.
Finally finding the water source, Hang Sisi slumped down to rest, while Yu Lingyu fanned herself, utterly exhausted, greeted Lin Qianyu, and lay down on the spot.The man following behind them squatted down to wash his hands.
Lin Qianyu said, “I’m fishing.”
Her hand stirred in the water, splashing lightly—just as a fish was about to bite her finger, the sudden movement startled it. It jerked away and vanished into the water.
【Damn! I held my breath thinking she was about to catch it!】
【WTF… who is this guy? Making such a scene just to wash his hands—is something wrong with him?】
【Come on, you don’t know Shi Jingyuan? He’s an industry veteran. Even movie kings call him “Teacher.” Him joining this variety show is doing you all a favor, okay? This is Shi Jingyuan’s first variety appearance.】
【Oh right, the guy who cheated during his marriage, forced his ex-wife to give up custody and leave with nothing, got blacklisted by the film industry—that scumbag? Not buried yet, and he’s already crawling back?】
……
The comments were filled with tension and sarcasm.
Lin Qianyu had held the same position for a long time and was starting to feel stiff. Seeing that the man was still making a fuss, she simply stood up to stretch and moved to a new spot.
Hang Sisi got splashed by the water Shi Jingyuan stirred up and froze for a second. Without saying anything, she shifted to the side. “Qianyu-jie, how do you catch fish? Teach me?”
“It’s just…”
“Tch.” Shi Jingyuan let out a sneer. “How? Didn’t she just stick her hand in the water? Playing Jiang Taigong-style fishing? Waiting for fish to volunteer themselves?”
Lin Qianyu couldn’t be bothered to respond and continued fishing.
Shi Jingyuan wasn’t annoyed by her silence, just said coolly, “You’d be better off picking more berries. Gather enough and you’ll be full. Better than this fake act, right?”
“I’ll just sit right here. Let’s see if little Su dares come over.”
Clearly, he lumped Lin Qianyu into the “fake act, staged by the production crew to push her” category.
Maybe in Shi Jingyuan’s eyes, Lin Qianyu was pretending to catch fish, planning to wait until the right time for the director to secretly hand her a fish off-camera—so she could pretend she caught it herself.
Using this to build a persona.
If someone else at her level had said this, fans might’ve lashed out.
But coming from someone who was both older and more senior in the industry—the most senior person on the show—it didn’t attract scolding. On the contrary, many agreed.
【Teacher Shi is badass! Keep your eyes on them. With him here, let’s see who dares fake it.】
【I’ve been wanting to say it—Lin Qianyu’s persona feels way too forced. I commented that in her livestream once and Su-dog blocked me right away. No need to say more about what that implies.】
【Really wondering what Lin Qianyu gave Director Su to make him lower himself like that and suck up to her.】
……
With a blunt veteran like him sitting there, even such sharp words sounded justified.
Besides, popularity and hate often go hand-in-hand.
But Lin Qianyu’s livestream room was well moderated. All sorts of banned words couldn’t be posted at all. Accounts that used insults or provocative language were either banned or deleted.
There were definitely people who cursed her out and thought she was faking it.
They just didn’t get the chance to parade that opinion directly in front of her.Hang Sisi, because she was close with Lin Qianyu, also received a fair share of criticism. Now that she wasn’t stepping in to speak on Shi Jingyuan’s behalf, many began accusing her of disrespecting her senior.
For a moment, the atmosphere grew awkward.
So tense it was hard to know what to do.
Yu Lingyu could only force a smile and step up to ease the tension. “Um… there are a lot of fish here. Teacher Shi, would you like to try catching some yourself?”
Shi Jingyuan let out a cold snort from his high and mighty stance.
Hang Sisi hesitated but pretended not to hear. She awkwardly changed the subject: “Qianyu-jie, hurry up and teach me. I want to learn how to fish too.”
“Put your hand in the water.” Lin Qianyu gestured for her to follow along.
Anticipating the barrage of chaos that would fill the livestream comments, she didn’t even glance at them, continuing to focus on catching fish.
Seeing how calm Lin Qianyu was, it felt as if an invisible hand had steadied Hang Sisi’s heart too. She bent down and mimicked Lin Qianyu, reaching into the water.
The cold water covered her wrists. Hang Sisi chose a spot a bit away from Lin Qianyu.
After all, no one fishes by throwing two baits in the same place.
Shi Jingyuan sat upright by the lakeside. Seeing the two women act as if he didn’t exist, his expression darkened. He got up, clasped his hands behind his back, puffed up his chest slightly, and with the air of an old cadre, spoke earnestly: “You’re still young. Don’t go down the wrong path just for a moment of popularity.”
“Be a bit more real.”
“Reality shows are about reality—not performance. Treating a variety show like a stage to show off your acting skills? That’s just not right.”
He never named names, but everything he said was clearly aimed at Lin Qianyu.
Lin Qianyu’s expression didn’t change. She responded politely, “Then you must’ve taken the righteous path when you were young.”
Shi Jingyuan paused. His stern expression instantly fell apart—maybe because deep down he knew all too well how much of his personal mess had spread all over the internet, practically known by everyone.
If the scandal hadn’t gotten so out of hand, he wouldn’t have chosen to step away from the spotlight at the height of his career.
Whether he was blacklisted or voluntarily left to wait out the storm, Shi Jingyuan could at least tell the difference between one good meal and meals for life.
Precisely because he understood so clearly, hearing Lin Qianyu say that made him feel provoked.
His eyes widened. “You’re just a junior, and you dare make judgments about your senior’s affairs—what kind of upbringing do you have?”
“Cheating during marriage, dual contracts…” Reading from the comments, Lin Qianyu paused, then looked up and shot the words back at him, “Are those your family’s traditional survival skills?”
Yes, he had seniority—but he also had plenty of dirt.
Lin Qianyu didn’t even need to dig anything up. Fans had already gathered all the details and posted them in her livestream chat.
This way, not only did they manage to chase off Shi Jingyuan’s fans stirring up drama in her stream without using a single curse word, they also gave Lin Qianyu a full briefing on this “respected” industry senior.
“!!!”
Hang Sisi and Yu Lingyu exchanged glances, chills running down their backs as if they’d just been struck by lightning. Goosebumps rose all over.
Th-this—!?
Can she even say that!!!
Yu Lingyu quietly swallowed. This time, she truly didn’t know what she could possibly say to ease this tension.Hang Sisi and Yu Lingyu were already scared stiff—Shi Jingyuan was even more furious.
“You—!”
Some things were indeed known by all, but rarely would anyone in the industry dare to say them to Shi Jingyuan’s face.
This was no different than slapping him outright.
Especially with Lin Qianyu speaking in such a calm tone. A junior like her—how dare she say these things? Did she not want a future in the industry!?
Everyone in the circle was shrewd. When it came to real benefits, so-called values and ethics always took a back seat.
In a place where people bowed to power and trampled the weak, having resources in hand was what really mattered.
Shi Jingyuan dared to join this program flaunting his senior status simply because everyone else here was younger—few would dare talk back.
Besides, everyone in the same circle had some skeletons in their closets.
Those who were curious might gossip privately among friends, but no one was dumb enough to drag dirty secrets out in front of the person involved.
Lin Qianyu didn’t care about any of that. She’d already changed careers. Whether someone ruled the entertainment world or whatever—none of it had anything to do with her. Worst case? Just blacklist her.
Shi Jingyuan’s face flushed red with rage. Still trying to keep his elder’s posture, he flung his hand out and scolded, “So young and already so reckless—such people can never achieve anything. You speak without knowing truth from falsehood. No brains at all, just letting others lead you around.”
【Warning! Stop claiming daddy status all over the place.】
【“Don’t know the truth”? Come on, don’t you know the truth?】
【By the way, why hasn’t Shi Jingyuan been blacklisted yet? I saw him as an award presenter at the Tongque Film Awards just a few days ago.】
【Though his personal life is messy, Shi Jingyuan does have unmatched artistic accomplishments… plus… someone’s clearly backing him.】
【Not gonna lie, watching Lin-jie tear into him was so satisfying. First time I’ve seen anyone dare scold Shi Jingyuan to his face over this kind of stuff, lol!】
The main reason Shi Jingyuan could still walk around so arrogantly was because he had protection.
And after so many years in the industry, he himself had become a major power. No matter how much dirt was online, as long as he wasn’t committing serious crimes, no one could touch him.
Lin Qianyu didn’t like being lectured. Just as the fish was about to bite—
Shi Jingyuan suddenly threw a rock into the water. The startled fish flinched and swam wildly, but this time Lin Qianyu was prepared. The moment the fish opened its mouth, she stuck her thumb in and pinched its jaw, yanking it right out of the lake.
The several-jin grass carp twisted furiously once out of the water. Lin Qianyu’s grip slipped and—smack!—the fish hit Shi Jingyuan’s face dead-on.
Shi Jingyuan, not far away, didn’t even have time to react. The wet, sticky stench of fish exploded across his face, mixed with lake water.
He stood there stunned.
It wasn’t until Lin Qianyu came over and picked up the fish that he snapped out of it. He raised a trembling finger at her. “You, you—you you…”
“You’d” for half a day but couldn’t finish the sentence.
Lin Qianyu swung the fish in her hand. “Bye-bye.”
If luck was on her side, the grasslands were huge, and the chances of running into Shi Jingyuan again were fairly low.
But… the bad part was, this seemed to be the only water source around.
Lin Qianyu looked into the distance and started wondering if she should head upstream to see if there was a better place to spend the night.Used to being bowed to and politely addressed as a senior, Shi Jingyuan still wanted to put on airs. Lin Qianyu simply turned her back. “So? Did you catch one?”
Lin Qianyu said, “Someone was causing trouble. If you can’t catch any here, just try somewhere else. The point is to learn the method.”
Actually, grabbing the fish the moment it bites your thumb gives you the highest success rate.
Grass carp don’t have teeth, so their bites don’t hurt.
But... if Shi Jingyuan scaring the fish off while washing his hands at first could be called an accident, then throwing that rock later was obviously intentional.
Probably because Lin Qianyu hadn’t flattered him like the other juniors, Shi Jingyuan—who did have some real skill as a director—couldn’t take it, so he purposely stirred trouble.
Hang Sisi nodded, cold sweat nearly pouring down.
“I’m heading out first,” Lin Qianyu said. She grabbed the fish and followed the direction the prairie wolf had left in.
Shi Jingyuan wiped the water off his face, disgusted, then crouched by the lakeside and washed it several times.
Worth mentioning: even though he was clearly sick of the slime on his face, he still kept up the airs while washing—rolling up his sleeves, smoothing out the creases, then carefully splashing water on his face and wiping it clean with his cuff.
Hang Sisi: “……”
Is it too late to run now?
—After crossing a few slopes, she didn’t see the prairie wolf, but she did spot a few crooked-necked trees.
This patch of forest was probably connected to the area where the production team’s villa was set up.
In China, due to the soil, rainfall, and temperature, grasslands usually don’t grow trees. But African savannahs not only have trees—they can even have sizable forests.
The island’s terrain was unique, and the trees here grew loosely spaced, not very dense. Lin Qianyu, who was used to towering trees blotting out the sky in rainforests, felt a little out of place.
Still, there were trees—and it was close to water.
Lin Qianyu took out her kitchen knife and chopped some branches. “Let’s camp here for the night.”
Though the little wolf might’ve enthusiastically led her back home, there was no way she could sleep in a dirt den—and there were no caves around either.
Without shelter, she’d be sleeping under open sky.
Plus, the temperature difference between day and night on the savannah was huge. The stuff in her backpack probably wouldn’t cut it.
After chopping branches, Lin Qianyu started a fire by friction.
The freshly caught grass carp had been carried the whole way and, lacking water, was already barely moving. Its scales felt dry to the touch.
Lin Qianyu cleaned it on the spot and started roasting it over the fire.
“Don’t know where that little wolf ran off to hunt—still hasn’t come back.” Turning the fish, Lin Qianyu couldn’t help glancing around. She noticed some footprints not far away and stood up, waving to draw the livestream camera over. “Look at this.”
Lin Qianyu traced the outline of a strange-shaped footprint in the air with her fingertip, marking out two paw shapes. “These should be lion tracks. There are deeper prints, probably from a whole pride.”
【!!! Are we going to track them!?】
【Charge! Hug as many as we can!】
【Wait a sec… just came from Yin Youlin’s livestream—he also spotted lions, and everyone’s screaming at him to run. What’s going on with you girls?!】
【LOL I’m dead. After watching Lin-jie for so long, animals aren’t even dangerous anymore—they’re just: good for petting and super good for petting!】...
Lin Qianyu had no intention of giving chase—this was just the first day, and nothing was ready yet.
At the very least, she needed to settle her lodging for the night before going off to play with lions.
She sprinkled some salt on the roasted fish. It cooked quickly—several slits cut into it were already charred at the edges, and the open flame gave it a smoky, grilled aroma.
Lin Qianyu blew on it and took a big bite from the fish’s belly.
She carefully picked out the fine little bones—the meat was tender, and since the fish was quite fatty, that mouthful was satisfyingly rich.
It would’ve been even better without all those tiny bones.
“Grass carp have way too many bones,” Lin Qianyu muttered, licking her lips. “Next time I’ll use them to make fish soup instead.”
Crushing the whole fish, bones and meat, into a paste and drinking it mixed with the soup would let the bones be strained out.
As she ate, Lin Qianyu scooped water from the lakeside with her hand and splashed it on the fire, dousing the visible flames.
She ate slowly—very slowly, in fact—because of the fish bones.
Getting a fish bone stuck in your throat out in the wild was no joke.
By the time she got to the end, the grilled fish had already gone cold.
In the distance, Lin Qianyu could still hear Shi Jingyuan barking orders and talking down to others—it sounded like more guests had come to drink water and ended up getting lectured.
With a fish skeleton dangling from the stick in her hand, Lin Qianyu stuck it into the ground and clapped her hands. “Now for the palm shelter-building tutorial.”
She paused, then added, “This is only suitable for clear weather or light breeze and drizzle—harsh weather still requires better shelter.”
Just like in the first episode where a machete was all she needed to slice through the rainforest, here on the grassland, a single kitchen knife was enough.
Lin Qianyu walked up to the palm trees and chopped down several trunks, collecting quite a few before stopping.
“If you don’t have rope, you can use palm leaves—or peel bark to weave cords.” She wrapped one end of the palm trunks with palm leaves and did her best to tie a knot.
When the knot wouldn’t hold, she simply wrapped a few extra rounds on the outside.
Wrapping it from all angles, she finally tucked the tip of the outer palm leaf into the overlapping layers so it wouldn’t come undone when released.
“Then prop it up like this.”
With the wrapped end facing up, she bent the bottom ends of the palm trunks outward to form a tent shape. If she had a waterproof tarp, she could’ve just thrown it over and called it done.
But apparently, thanks to how much she showed off the tarp in the first episode, everyone scrambled for tarps at the beginning of this second season—leaving tents sidelined.
Still, palm leaves could also block sunlight.
Lin Qianyu laid horizontal trunks across the vertical ones in a crisscross pattern, then wrapped palm leaves around them repeatedly, securing every intersecting point.
That way, the shelter wouldn’t fall apart at night if the palm leaves started shedding.
Each time she finished wrapping one, Lin Qianyu would tug hard to test its durability.
She let out a breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “That’s the framework done.”
The weather was still a bit hot, and after being in the sun so long, even her breathing had grown heavy.But it was almost done.
Lin Qianyu simply pushed through and picked up the palm leaves. “Lastly, insert the palm leaves upside down and wedge them in layer by layer, covering all the way to the top.”
It couldn’t be perfectly sealed—any sunlight that leaked through could just serve as natural lighting.
This shelter was a bit fragile; once built in place, it wasn’t suitable for moving.
Judging by the surrounding area, though, it was decent. The water source was mid-to-upper stream, there was sparse woodland nearby, and it wasn’t far from the little wolf’s burrow.
All things considered, this was the best choice for now.
However... being close to a water source made it likely she’d run into other guests.
Lin Qianyu inserted the final palm leaf, deliberately ignoring a certain older guest.
“Whew...” She left an entrance, lifted the leaves, crawled in, and let out a long sigh. “It’s cooler now.”
The temperature hadn’t actually changed, but without the blazing sunlight directly hitting her, the scorching sensation was gone.
【Hmm? Why do I have a bad feeling about this.】
【Don’t sleep! Please, Sister Lin, don’t take a nap. The kid’s been watching replays for days and finally gets to see you live.】
“Not sleeping, not sleeping.” Lin Qianyu folded her hands behind her head. “I’m just lying down for a bit. How could I nap in the middle of the afternoon?”
Bullet comments: 【……】
They didn’t believe her.
There had already been instances of her falling asleep on the very first day of a variety show. Fans familiar with Lin Qianyu’s personality didn’t believe for a second she wasn’t planning to nap.
The setting was too ideal—sound of running water, occasional warm breezes brushed aside by the shelter, making the hanging palm leaves rustle softly.
It was perfect for a nap.
Lin Qianyu felt like if she lay there any longer, she’d really fall asleep.
But it was still too early.
She forcibly suppressed the rising drowsiness, lifted the flap and poked her head out. “Did you hear a lion’s roar?”
The bullet comments all replied in unison: No.
“Did I mishear it?” Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow. She rummaged through her backpack and sprayed two bottles of insect repellent around the shelter. “Let’s go take a look.”
Insect repellent had a bit of a smell to it—best used when there weren’t any furry creatures around.
She left the rest behind and only brought one bottle with her.
“What kind of shrub is this? The thorns are so sharp.” Lin Qianyu looked at the dry thorny bush in front of her, decisively turned around and took a detour. “If you come across this kind of shrub in the wild, you can cut it down and place it around your shelter as protection from predators at night.”
It was a relatively simple defense.
Lin Qianyu didn’t really need it—she had the prairie wolf.
Even if the little wolf wasn’t around, she could still handle predators on her own.
“This looks kind of like a strawberry,” Lin Qianyu lowered herself and picked a couple of sorghum fruits. “Tastes pretty good. Compared to where we first got off the vehicle, there’s actually a wider variety of food here.”She couldn’t help but suspect that the director had deliberately chosen a desolate place to drop them off.
Stepping on the uneven ground, Lin Qianyu spotted aloe with reddish edges. “Wild aloe? Since I’ve come across it, might as well collect some. I remember this stuff helps with inflammation.”
This time the production team went all out—aside from not preparing any supplies, they also didn’t allow any exchange of items with the crew, and they hadn’t even provided a medical kit.
If someone got caught in the rain and ended up with a headache or fever, they’d either have to tough it out or drop out of the show.
In the first season, if that happened, people just took some fever medicine, and if they were in good health, they were fine.
After gathering the aloe, Lin Qianyu tore off two large leaves to wrap it up, so the aloe sap wouldn’t leak all over her backpack.
Along the way, she picked up anything potentially useful.
Whether or not it was useful now didn’t matter—if she needed it later and didn’t have it, that would be much more troublesome.
Before she knew it, her backpack was already nearly half full.
Still no sign of the prairie wolf.
—She’d been walking in the direction the little wolf had gone.
Lin Qianyu placed one hand on her hip and sighed lightly. “Looks like the little guy went pretty far to hunt.”
She looked back at the path she’d come from, then ahead at the uncertain terrain.
Lin Qianyu tossed a sorghum fruit into her mouth. “Let’s keep going.”
After passing through some low shrubs, Lin Qianyu heard the sound of vultures. Looking up, she saw vultures circling in the sky in the distance.
She guessed, “There’s probably a large animal over there.”
Vultures feed on carrion—but not only that. They have a broad diet. Sometimes, after predators catch prey and abandon the remains, vultures swoop in.
It looked as if they helped clean up what other animals couldn’t finish.
But this kind of “help” only worked with lions.
When it came to predators with less strength—like cheetahs—if vultures targeted them, those predators would often try to eat as much as they could quickly and then leave.
Then, the vultures would swarm in and devour what they’d snatched from the cheetah.
Lin Qianyu held up a palm leaf. The large leaf had holes in it, but it still offered some shade.
When she had free time in the evening, she planned to weave a few straw hats—so she wouldn’t have to fuss with this while out and about tomorrow.
Climbing onto a small mound, Lin Qianyu lay down on the spot. It wasn’t very tall, but with the slope, it gave her enough elevation to see quite a lot.
She placed the palm leaf over her head—it worked as a simple disguise.
Lin Qianyu whispered, “The ostrich is fighting with the lions.”
More precisely, a pride of lions was cornering the ostrich. The lionesses were the main force when it came to hunting in a pride.
Male lions usually only stepped in when it involved large prey—like rhinos or elephants—prey that was difficult and extremely dangerous.
The coordination within a lion pride was impressively smooth.
Once they locked onto their prey, there was no escaping death.The ostrich’s shrill screams were piercing as it ran swiftly, weaving around the pride of lions, but every escape route had already been blocked. It darted around like a headless fly.
Finally, after a lion let out a roar, it lunged forward and snapped the ostrich’s neck.
【That lioness is incredible—I'd give that pounce a full score.】
【Whoa whoa, it feels like I’m watching this live. So intense! Lin-jie, are you going down to save the ostrich?】
【Lioness: Do you hear yourself right now?】
The lion pride carried off the ostrich they’d just taken down and left the scene. The vultures in the sky didn’t have the guts to confront a pride that had just finished a hunt. Apart from hoarse cries, they didn’t even dare descend close to the ground.
Lin Qianyu waited for the lions to leave before sliding down the slope. “They only took the ostrich—so the eggs should still be there.”
Saying this, she rummaged nearby and really did find the ostrich nest, with three huge ostrich eggs inside.
She lifted one and weighed it in her hand. “Pretty heavy.”
“Ostrich eggs are rich in protein, minerals, and vitamins. These should be enough to eat for several days.” Lin Qianyu packed the eggs into her backpack, which was now completely full.
The zipper barely closed by pressing everything to the edges.
It had been a fruitful journey.
Since the lions hadn’t left any ostrich meat behind, the vultures began circling and flew off to another spot.
“Go away, go away!”
“Don’t you know how to wait your turn?!”
A man’s voice rang out, followed by the disgruntled squawking of vultures.
When Lin Qianyu arrived, Gong Xinming was brandishing a machete, facing off with the vultures. “I found it first.”
Even in the face of a human, the wild vultures didn’t back down. They seemed to think they could scare him off like they would a cheetah, relying on their numbers to intimidate Gong Xinming.
Seeing Lin Qianyu, Gong Xinming was momentarily stunned. Before he could process it, a smile had already spread across his face. “Lin-jie!”
Lin Qianyu nodded and asked in confusion, “What are you doing?”
“I’m cutting meat,” Gong Xinming said, pointing to the half-butchered zebra. “Look, I picked up a zebra.”
His finger pointed to the branches and scattered leaves beneath the zebra. Gong Xinming explained, “I think this was a leopard’s leftover kill that had been stashed in a tree and then fell down—lucky timing for me.”
He was only taking some of the meat from it.
Using the machete to slice off chunks of meat, Gong Xinming asked, “Lin-jie, want some? Let’s finish quick and get out. I’m worried the leopard might come back.”
If a predator found out he was stealing its prey, that leopard would definitely come at him.
Gong Xinming was well aware of his own limits—if the leopard dared to chase him, he’d be ready to die right there and make the show crew deal with the fallout.
“No need, you go ahead,” Lin Qianyu wasn’t interested in zebra meat. She just asked, “Have you seen a prairie wolf around here?”
“Wolf?” Gong Xinming shook his head. “Nope, just saw the lions and ostrich earlier. Nothing else.”
Gong Xinming looked clueless, but the livestream chat was exploding.
【Yes there was! You silly boy! When you were cutting meat just now, there were a pair of glowing green eyes staring at you from behind!】【Exactly, exactly! The entire chat was trying to warn you. And you didn’t even glance around!】
Fans were practically worrying themselves sick on Gong Xinming’s behalf, anxiously helping him keep an eye on his surroundings.
Seeing the chat, Gong Xinming scratched his head and hesitated, “Huh? The fans said there was something? Damn, am I really that lucky?”
He could hardly believe it himself. “First I found food, and then the prairie wolf spotted me but didn’t attack or even try to steal the meat. Could I be the chosen one of this variety show?”
Lin Qianyu chuckled but didn’t shatter his delusion. “You carry on. I’m going to look around elsewhere.”
“Okay, bye Lin-jie.” Gong Xinming waved, then turned back to cutting meat with full focus.
Only after Lin Qianyu left did Gong Xinming suddenly realize, “Wait—could that wolf I saw have been Lin-jie’s?”
Fans: 【……】
Your reaction time is way too slow.
“I’m guessing the little wolf might’ve gone to hunt a zebra.” Lin Qianyu hadn’t walked far before figuring the prairie wolf was probably nearby. Since she had a general idea of its location, she didn’t rush. Instead, she sat down by the water source to drink.
With no cup, and though the water was clear, it still couldn’t be drunk directly.
In real survival situations, things aren’t that refined. If you’re dying of thirst and water is scarce, you’ll drink even muddy water if you have to.
But since she had the means to improve her situation, Lin Qianyu planned to boil the water first.
“Ostrich eggshells are very sturdy. I plan to make a cup out of one.” She set her backpack down, picked an ostrich egg, and tapped the pointed end with the tip of a kitchen knife.
The force had to be just right.
Too light, and she might spend all day tapping it.
Too heavy, and the shell would shatter.
Compared to the egg white and yolk inside, what Lin Qianyu needed more right now was an intact shell.
Thud, thud thud—after a few taps, a small hole appeared. She kept tapping around the edges of the hole with the tip of the knife, prying off pieces where possible and tapping again where she couldn’t.
After repeating the process a few times, she managed to open a hole roughly the size of a palm.
Lin Qianyu washed a thin stone slab clean, broke the egg onto it using a stick to stir, and set it over a fire to cook.
There was no oil, and the stone was sticky, so she didn’t flip the egg. She just let it fry as-is while she cleaned the eggshell thoroughly inside and out.
Chances were high it would stick and break, but she wasn’t concerned about looks—she just stirred and scrambled it roughly.
While the ostrich egg cooked, Lin Qianyu pulled down two palm leaves from nearby.
She twisted them into a long rope.
“Everyone at home can also use this method to tie up a water cup—it gives you a handle.” Lin Qianyu laid the finished rope on the ground, overlapping the sides to form a small square in the center.
She placed the uncracked end of the eggshell on the square, then lifted the rope’s two ends.
The rope tightened securely around the ostrich eggshell, holding it firmly in place.
Lin Qianyu raised her hand and gave the camera a shake of the newly made cup with a strap, then got up, filled it with water, and set up a tripod frame just far enough from the fire to avoid burning but close enough to heat.
She hung the cup over the fire to slowly boil.
It would take a while, but the upside was that the ostrich eggshell cup was reusable.Otherwise, it might get ruined from just one boil.
While waiting for the water, the scrambled eggs finished cooking too—perfect timing for eating while waiting.
She made use of every idle moment.
“So tender.” Lin Qianyu held the stone slab and took a bite of the eggs. “Just a bit of salt and it already tastes great.”
It tasted pretty much the same as chicken eggs.
Felt like she hadn’t eaten chicken eggs in a long time.
“There are wild yaks over there.” Across the water source, heads down as if grazing.
There were quite a few yaks—it looked like there was more than one herd.
“If Big Orange were here, he’d definitely charge right in.” Thinking of the big tiger, Lin Qianyu’s eyes curved in a smile. “If I try hard enough, next time I go back I’ll bring Big Orange some yak liver. He’ll definitely love it.”
After the ostrich eggshell water cup had been boiling for a while, Lin Qianyu rotated it to let the other side face the fire as well.
The water inside still didn’t show signs of boiling, but when she held her hand near the opening, she could faintly feel warmth coming through.
A bit more heating and it would be ready.
It didn’t necessarily need to reach a boil—with this slow, side-fire method, she wasn’t even sure it could boil.
Just heat it a bit longer—whether it boils or not, she’d drink it when the time came.
Only eating ostrich egg was getting a bit cloying, so Lin Qianyu took out some wild berries she’d picked earlier. The sweet and sour taste helped refresh her palate.
There was too much ostrich egg to finish. Lin Qianyu picked up the cup by its strap, gently blew on it, and took a small sip of the water.
【Rolling with Lin-jie, two meals in the first few hours—plus berries and stuff on the side.】
【Help—seriously, you guys need to open two screens: watch Yu Lingyu’s side and then look at Lin-jie’s. That poor little feather’s life is tragic.】
【Shi Jingyuan is so disgusting. He’s mastered moral coercion. Always pushing everything onto the younger ones just because he’s older. Yu Lingyu looks like she’s furious but can’t say anything. It’s suffocating. This livestream room is way more pleasant to watch.】
【I’m dying—how many people in the entire entertainment industry dare to confront Shi Jingyuan to his face? Maybe three. Lin-jie fears nothing.】
...
Conflict is just part of variety shows.
The other guests need some screen time too.
With someone like Shi Jingyuan there, that side was bound to have drama. And where there’s drama, there’s trending buzz—maybe a blessing in disguise.
Lin Qianyu saved more than half of the scrambled egg, nibbling on berries while watching as two fuzzy pointed ears appeared in the distance. Her eyes curved again. “Little wolf.”
“Woo!” With prey in its mouth, the prairie wolf called out while speeding toward her.
Lin Qianyu re-hung the water cup, worried the little wolf might knock it over if it brushed against her. “Slow down, no rush.”
A thoroughly dead zebra was dropped in front of her, and the prairie wolf licked its lips before pressing against her affectionately.
Lin Qianyu hugged the fluffy fur scarf, feeling the prairie wolf’s slightly rapid breathing. She said, “Tired, huh? Rest for a bit. I’ll help you cut up the meat.”
“Awoo!” The prairie wolf didn’t want to go. It tilted its head and leaned against her shoulder, staring at her with wide eyes.Lin Qianyu turned her head and kissed it. “Good boy.”
“Woo!”
Only then did the prairie wolf, fully satisfied, head toward the water source.
The water was quite clear—not enough to see the bottom, but also no sign of crocodiles.
This river, even in the wild, looked so scenic it could pass as a tourist spot.
Having just run a while ago, the prairie wolf drank very slowly, standing by the water for a long time.
Only after drinking its fill did it return.
“Try the scrambled eggs I made,” Lin Qianyu said, splitting the zebra in half, removing the organs separately, cutting one half into chunks of meat, then mixing the meat and organs together, and finally topping it all with scrambled eggs.
A well-prepared, hearty afternoon tea was ready.
The prairie wolf had never eaten scrambled eggs before—maybe it had barely even seen an ostrich egg.
But this strange-looking pile of food had been made by Lin Qianyu. The prairie wolf chomped down on most of it in one bite, slowly chewing as if savoring the flavor of the scrambled ostrich egg.
Lin Qianyu smiled and pulled out an intact ostrich egg from her backpack. “You’re eating this. How is it? Pretty good, right?”
“Woo!”
Good!
“Haha, glad you like it.” Lin Qianyu patted the little wolf’s head. “If you like it, I’ll save both of them for you.”
She just needed to keep the eggshells to make more cups.
After finishing the scrambled egg, the prairie wolf licked its lips. Seeing Lin Qianyu resting her chin on one hand, watching it, it tilted its head. “Woo?”
Not knowing why Lin Qianyu wasn’t eating, the little wolf picked up a piece of meat from the stone slab and brought it over to her.
“I already ate,” Lin Qianyu said, placing her hand gently on the prairie wolf’s snout. “I had a lot of the egg, plus some fish. I’m not hungry at all—you go ahead.”
But with such a large zebra, it didn’t seem like the prairie wolf would be able to finish it alone.
“Are you planning to take it back to your pack?” Lin Qianyu asked, lifting the other half of the zebra. With so much fresh meat, taking it back would be hard to preserve, but leaving it here felt like a waste.
Upon hearing this, the prairie wolf’s eyes shifted. It swallowed the meat in its mouth, then turned its head and howled toward the direction it came from.
“Awoo——!”
The deliberately drawn-out howl echoed in the air.
It seemed the wolf king was signaling the rest of the pack.
Sometimes, when wolves hunt separately and the alpha can’t see the others, it uses howls to ask their whereabouts. The others, upon hearing it, respond in turn.
Lin Qianyu explained, “This means the other wolves in the pack should come over to eat.”
【I know this one! There’s another kind of howl that’s like, ‘You there?’ Apparently, if a wolf doesn’t respond and the alpha later finds it still alive, it gets beaten up.】
【Hahahahaha what kind of logic is that—getting beaten up?!】
【Alpha wolf: ‘You there?’ Wolf ignores it. Later runs into it. Alpha: ??? Alive and didn’t answer?!】
【Damn, that translation is way too vivid. Who else would get beaten if not that wolf?】After the prairie wolf let out that howl, responses from other wolves began sounding off one after another.
Only after hearing the replies did the little wolf lower its head and continue eating.
The prairie wolf ate with its usual grace, slowly and leisurely.
Maybe it wasn’t very hungry to begin with—after all, the little wolf had gone hunting because Lin Qianyu was hungry, and it had even gone out of its way to find a zebra, something she was familiar with from their time in the rainforest.
But since Lin Qianyu didn’t eat it, it was left to the prairie wolf to finish.
The zebra meat was tender and cut cleanly without any off-putting smell, and the little wolf seemed to enjoy it.
Lin Qianyu held the cooling water cup in her hands, gazing off into the distance. She took a sip now and then, feeling that in this sweltering heat, just a couple of sips made her start to sweat.
Something seemed to be approaching from afar. Lin Qianyu squinted. “Little wolf, look—so many zebras over there.”
The prairie wolf, still chewing its meat, licked the blood off the corner of its mouth.
After eating its fill, the fluffy creature leaned against Lin Qianyu’s side and began grooming its fur.
Just as it opened its mouth, Lin Qianyu quickly popped a berry into it.
The sour-sweet flavor spread in its mouth. The prairie wolf froze, blinking at Lin Qianyu, whose face was full of amusement. With a look of resignation, it chewed and swallowed the berry whole.
The little wolf lifted its head and nuzzled her cheek, its wet nose feeling like a kiss, then lowered its head to resume grooming.
Lin Qianyu placed the palm leaf she’d used for shade over half of the zebra’s carcass.
She wasn’t sure if the prairie wolf’s scent would deter the nearby vultures. In the face of a wolf pack, vultures had no advantage, so they wouldn’t come for now.
By the time they realized there weren’t many wolves present, the rest of the pack would probably have arrived.
Lin Qianyu held the little wolf and rubbed its belly—round and full, clearly well fed.
The afternoon passed peacefully, especially after a good meal, tucked into a shaded corner.
This spot was at higher elevation, offering a wide view of the withered grassland below.
Compared to the fresh green grass down below, the grass here was limp and lifeless.
“Dry grass is better for weaving hats than fresh grass,” Lin Qianyu thought aloud. Using fresh grass that wilts and dehydrates causes the hat to deform. It’s not something terribly important, but once it warps, she’d be too lazy to fix it and might just end up weaving a new one.
Might as well use dry grass from the start—once shaped and secured, it would last much longer.
She decided to get to it. Nothing else to do, after all.
Lin Qianyu grabbed a few handfuls nearby. The grass here was long—when standing, it reached nearly up to her calves.
Having woven plenty of hats already, Lin Qianyu could now use almost any material to recreate the shape she imagined purely from memory.
In her free time, she could even weave a flower out of dried grass without a problem.
“One for the little wolf,” Lin Qianyu said, first crafting a small outline, then holding it up to the prairie wolf’s ear to measure. “A little wolf that wears a straw hat is just way too cool.”
The little wolf lifted its head slightly. Realizing Lin Qianyu’s hand was still on its head, it paused for a second, then quickly ducked its head again. “Woo!”
Cool!
“Haha!” Lin Qianyu knew full well the little wolf had no idea what “cool” meant, but seeing it with an unfinished hat—a simple loop of straw on its head—while saying something so stylish, she couldn’t help but laugh.The prairie wolf tilted its head, looking confused—but still happy.
【It’s so nice to have something fluffy around. Feels like Sister Lin doesn’t even need to hunt herself.】
【Heh, exactly. The director straight-up gave her a backdoor pass. This prairie wolf is someone Lin Qianyu already knew. You guys can’t possibly argue she doesn’t know wild animals now.】
Even though the criticism was clearly unreasonable, the way it was phrased—if you didn’t look into the facts—almost made it sound plausible.
Bringing an animal from Season 1 of the variety show into Season 2—what’s that got to do with any behind-the-scenes manipulation?
Quite a few fans clapped back in the comments.
【If you’re so good, you go on the show too. Make friends with a wolf and see if the wind and rain don’t listen to you.】
【Were you blind during Season 1? The director’s probably half-dead from rage reading what you just said.】
Though a few scattered comments chimed in agreement:
【Exactly, other guests are struggling for food, and she doesn’t have to do anything—food just arrives in her lap from a prairie wolf.】
【Some people still don’t know Lin Qianyu’s health is poor and she can’t do intense physical activity?】
【That’s ancient news already. When Sister Lin beat up those poachers, you were still clacking away on your keyboard.】
……
Lin Qianyu glanced at the increasingly noisy barrage of comments. She yawned, not really paying attention to the haters' deliberate provocation.
But… hunting zebra, huh?
She couldn’t help cracking her knuckles a little. It had been a long time since she’d done anything physical.
Normally she just walked around a bit, took some strolls.
“I’ll show you all how to catch a zebra with your bare hands if you’re stranded in the wild.”
【???】
【C-calm down.】
【Sister Lin, I know you’re strong, but there’s really no need to rip a zebra apart barehanded. We can’t even finish that much meat—it’s such a waste.】
“It’s fine, just a demonstration. I’m not actually going to hunt anything.” Lin Qianyu poured a bit of water from her cup onto the fire, then hung the cup back on the tripod. She stood up, rotating her wrist. “Let’s go.”
The prairie wolf stood up at the same time as Lin Qianyu, shaking out its fur, ready to follow without hesitation.
Lin Qianyu patted the little wolf’s head and said, “Little wolf, wait here. I’ll handle the hunt.”
“Awoo!” The prairie wolf stayed right by her side, hearing her words but making no move to leave.
Lin Qianyu thought for a moment. “Then let’s hunt together. You get one, and I’ll catch one, how about that?”
She’d thought it through: the prey caught by the little wolf could go to feed the rest of the pack.
After all, just half a zebra wasn’t enough for the entire group.
As they neared the zebras, Lin Qianyu gave directions: “You go left, I’ll go right.”
“Woo!”
The prairie wolf puffed out its chest, earnestly listening to Lin Qianyu explain the tactics.It was her first time cooperating with a prairie wolf to hunt. Their hunting styles and habits were different, so Lin Qianyu planned to strike a balance. “It’s best to charge out at the same time. Otherwise, if the zebra herd panics, they might scatter in all directions—it’ll be a pain to chase them down.”
“Woo!”
The prairie wolf responded crisply, like no matter what Lin Qianyu said, it would puff out its chest and answer confidently with a “Got it!” Seeing this, Lin Qianyu’s eyes curved into a smile, and she couldn’t resist teasing it: “I’ll hunt on my own. Little Wolf stays here to guard the prey.”
“—!”
The prairie wolf had already lifted its head, opened its mouth—only to forcibly swallow back the “Awoo” that nearly burst out.
It froze so stiffly from stopping itself that its paw stumbled forward a little, but it didn’t respond.
“Hahaha… okay okay, I won’t tease you anymore.” Lin Qianyu hugged the prairie wolf like this and gave it a good rub.
Too cute.
Seeing her laughing so happily, Little Wolf turned its head and licked her cheek.
“Let’s go.”
“Woo!”
Lin Qianyu rolled up her sleeves and crouched behind a shrub.
The wind was blowing in her direction, which meant it wouldn’t carry the unfamiliar scents of human and wolf toward the zebras and alert them.
She and the prairie wolf had enough time to observe the herd peacefully grazing, completely unaware of any danger.
Since she was personally taking part in the hunt, she naturally had to choose the strongest zebra.
She picked one at a glance. She didn’t know which one Little Wolf chose, but judging by its gaze shifting leftward, it was likely not the same zebra she had her eyes on.
She reached out and tapped Little Wolf, holding up three fingers.
Little Wolf looked at her hand and slowly lowered its body.
Two.
One!
As she raised her index finger, Lin Qianyu and the prairie wolf sprang out of the bushes in an instant.
“Roar!”
The prairie wolf lunged and bit down on the zebra’s neck, its roar so fierce that the other zebras didn’t dare approach.
That roar alone sent the herd fleeing in all directions.
Lin Qianyu didn’t even bring a knife. She said it was just a demonstration, and she meant it—no extra effort at all. In the chaos, she sprang forward and leapt onto the zebra’s back.
Both arms wrapped around the zebra’s neck—and even at such a crucial moment, she still had the presence of mind to explain to the audience:
“At this point, if I had a knife in hand, and stabbed it right here, the hunt would be considered successful.”
She mimed holding a knife, showing where it would be thrust at an angle near the neck.
That would immediately incapacitate the zebra.
Only…It was just a demonstration.
She didn’t bring a knife.
With someone suddenly on its back, the zebra was beyond nervous—there was the wolf’s howl, unfamiliar everything—it thrashed its head wildly, kicking back hard with its hind legs.
Trying to throw Lin Qianyu off its back.
No way she was getting off now—one kick from a zebra at this point could mean instant death.
All of a zebra’s combat power is in its legs.
A solid kick could easily break several ribs, if not kill outright.
Even lions that leap onto zebras and bite down don’t dare loosen their grip easily—there are plenty of lions that get trampled to death in the chaos of hunting zebras.
Thinking of that, Lin Qianyu clung even tighter.
The zebra, realizing it couldn’t shake her off, bolted forward, running and thrashing as it went.
“!!!”
How was this any different from riding a horse?
The cool wind rushing at her face—honestly, it felt amazing.
Lin Qianyu sat up a little straighter and watched as the zebra barreled straight toward a tree, only to suddenly swerve at the last moment—probably trying to scare her into jumping off.
But Lin Qianyu wasn’t falling for it.
Zebras often feint like that to shake off attackers. Their sharp reflexes let them dodge obstacles the moment their enemy jumps off.
As the zebra galloped full speed, she even managed to raise one arm and shout, “——Waaaaaa charge!!!”
The prairie wolf, who was in the middle of dragging the zebra back, saw where Lin Qianyu was now—and its pupils shrank in shock. It instantly dropped its prey and gave chase. “Awoo! Woooo—!”
The rest of the wolf pack, arriving under the wolf king’s orders, happened to catch this scene too—and immediately joined the battle.
“Awoo awoo!”
“Awoooo!!”
“Wooo—!”
In that moment, the remaining zebras fled the battlefield, while a pack of prairie wolves led by Little Wolf charged hard toward the one zebra.
Feeling the zebra speed up even more, Lin Qianyu shouted, “Waaaa—go go go!”
Little Wolf: “Awoo—!”
The zebra glanced back—and seeing that many wolves chasing it, nearly rolled its eyes and bolted with all four legs flying like they’d take off.
Aaaaaaaaah!!
Author's Note: Failed at chapter-splitting again. Going back to 20k characters a day for now—will try 2 chapters of 15k each once I’m no longer stuck~ kisses, goodnight, sleep early, love you all.