Chapter 54

Chapter 54

[Bonus Chapter from Nutrient Solution]

The prairie wolf seemed to squint its eyes slightly, as if it were smiling.

【!!! The universal marine currency has appeared.】

【Stingray: Yeah, that’s right, I died to make friends.】

【To be fair, that fish is pretty big.】

【Wuwuwu... this is so nice, now even the furry ones from the ocean get treats.】

“Stingray?” Lin Qianyu smiled and said, “I thought you’d left. Turns out you went to catch a stingray.”

“Wuu!”

The orca leaped out of the water and flopped back down belly-up, splashing onto the surface.

The waves crashing ashore nudged the stingray, and it wobbled slightly, looking as if it might be pulled back into the ocean.

The orca swam forward a bit, riding the wave as if preparing to rush up again to grab it.

Lin Qianyu quickly reached out and grabbed the stingray’s tail. “Okay, okay, I’ve got it. Don’t come ashore.”

Once she had it in hand, Lin Qianyu held it up high so the orca could see clearly.

Seeing the stingray was in her hand, the orca stopped advancing and lazily drifted back to the spot it had been rolling around, continuing to flip over and over.

“I should be heading home too.” Lin Qianyu waved to the orca. “Thanks for the stingray. I’ll come play with you next time. You head back into the sea now.”

“Wuu—!”

Alright!

The orca responded crisply. But though it said that, it didn’t move to leave. Instead, it floated on the surface, watching her quietly.

It was indeed getting late, and Lin Qianyu still had a lot to do back home. She raised her hand again to say goodbye. “Next time, I’ll bring you something tasty.”

Some orcas have been known to eat herbivores that accidentally fall into the sea—like antelopes or zebras.

As for whether they like them, with the limited records available, it’s hard for humans to determine an orca’s preferences based on just one unusual meal.

Still, after getting used to the taste of seafood, trying some land-based prey once in a while might be a nice change of flavor.

After saying goodbye to the orca, Lin Qianyu carried the stingray in one hand and a bag full of abalone and large scallops in the other.

Hang Sisi, who was walking empty-handed beside her, noticed that what Lin Qianyu was holding looked heavy and offered, “Qianyu-jie, let me carry one for you.”

Lin Qianyu said, “It’s fine. They’re all shells—it’s not heavy.”

The gaps in the woven bag, which couldn’t be avoided during crafting, were now acting as a perfect strainer.

After spending so much time at the seaside, most of the seawater in the bag had already drained out.

Hearing that, Hang Sisi didn’t insist, and instead asked, “You found all that in the sea? Qianyu-jie, isn’t the ocean dangerous?”

Lin Qianyu instinctively wanted to shake her head, but paused for a moment. Instead of bluntly saying it was safe, she replied, “There is danger, but compared to carnivorous animals on land, it’s relatively safer. Plus, the sea is rich in resources.”

After a pause, thinking of the predators in the ocean, Lin Qianyu added, “As long as you don’t run into sharks, just pick up what you can and come straight back up.”There are many differing opinions online about whether sharks eat people. Some say sharks don’t eat humans, but they do bite.

Out of curiosity, a shark might take a bite and find the taste unappealing—but the scent of blood could attract other sharks, and with one bite from each shark, the person would be pretty much done for.

Others say that some species of sharks will actively attack snorkelers, dragging surfers off their boards and biting them.

With so many accounts, it’s hard to tell which are more credible.

So it’s better to treat sharks as dangerous. Better safe than sorry.

Hang Sisi nodded rapidly. “Yes, I’m especially scared of sharks, especially around undeveloped islands like this one—it’s definitely more likely to encounter them.”

Back during the filming of the previous episode, she had kept thinking about going into the sea to find food.

But then she got scared by what the livestream comments said about sharks.

After all, for someone who’s not great at swimming, encountering a shark in the ocean versus a predator on land—it seems like your odds of escape are higher on land.

In the water, if you're terrified, you might not even know how to move your arms.

So no matter how hard things got last time, Hang Sisi didn’t dare step into the sea.

Hearing the clinking of abalone shells in the bag, Lin Qianyu thought for a moment and said, “Actually, there’s a lot of stuff in the sea. If you don’t want to go in, you can weave a net from rope—still plenty you can catch.”

Hang Sisi’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! I can make a net!”

But then she thought again and deflated. “...But I don’t know how to weave one.”

“That’s easy. Collect some palm leaves, and I’ll teach you how to make rope,” Lin Qianyu said. Since arriving on the island, she couldn’t even remember how many ropes she had twisted—whether for building shelters or making bags, she was constantly making them.

“Really?!” Hang Sisi visibly lit up. “Qianyu-jie, you’re so nice! You don’t hide anything or act secretive, and you’re not even afraid I’ll compete with you for ocean resources—you even offered to teach me how to make a fishing net.”

After separating from the main group, Hang Sisi had soon run into Shi Jingyuan. Although she politely said the director wanted everyone to act independently, Shi Jingyuan kept following her.

As a newcomer, even before she’d fallen out with Guo Yanpeng, she hadn’t dared go against him too openly.

And now, faced with such a legendary figure in the entertainment industry, she dared even less to speak up.

She didn’t say anything, but Shi Jingyuan, using his seniority and age, kept nagging and lecturing her along the way. Hang Sisi was nearly driven insane.

When she tried catching fish, he belittled her, saying she’d never succeed, that Lin Qianyu’s success was staged by the director.

But after she did catch one, he immediately switched to an elder’s posture and demanded the fish.

Hang Sisi—just thinking about it now made her want to explode. So now, freely and openly discussing food-gathering methods with Lin Qianyu…

The contrast made her sigh inwardly at the inequality between people.

The more Hang Sisi thought about it, the more she felt she was getting the better end of the deal. She clapped her hands and said, “Once I catch fish, I’ll give you half. No—just enough for one meal for myself, the rest is all yours.”

Though she hadn’t even made the net yet, it felt a bit early to be saying that.

But Lin Qianyu sensed that if she didn’t refuse now, by the time Hang Sisi actually brought her the fish, it might be too late. “You don’t need to be so polite. Keep it for yourself. I have plenty of food. If you give it to me and I can’t finish it, it’ll just go to waste.”

Hang Sisi clenched a fist and tapped her palm, as if struck by a great idea, just about to speak again—when there was a sudden crack.

It sounded like an animal had stepped on a dry branch.

They were in the wild, and with a month of survival experience under her belt, Hang Sisi instantly became alert.“Little wolf?”

“Awoo——!”

They hadn’t seen the grassland wolf yet, but they heard its voice first.

Hang Sisi froze, looking at Lin Qianyu in disbelief. “Qianyu-jie, can you now tell if it’s an animal you know just by the sound of a branch being stepped on?”

That’s way too incredible!

“Haha…” Lin Qianyu was amused by her serious expression. “How could that be? Didn’t you see the wolf’s eyes?”

As dusk settled in, the grassland wolf had been looking down from a higher spot, and in the dim surroundings, its green eyes looked like they were glowing.

Animal eyes often reflect light like that.

Lin Qianyu was used to petting her furry companions at home in the dark with just a tiny bit of light. She wasn’t afraid of seeing a pair of glowing eyes at night—she just wanted to scoop them up and cuddle them until they went bald from petting.

As she spoke, the grassland wolf had already walked over and opened its mouth to bite the devil ray.

Lin Qianyu pulled her hand back and offered the basket instead. “Don’t bite that, it’s covered in sand. Help me carry this.”

The devil ray had been dragged across the ground for a while. She’d planned to clean and prepare it back at home, so she hadn’t washed it by the sea, and it was still quite dirty. Even holding it made her hand feel sticky and uncomfortable—how could she let the little wolf bite it?

The grassland wolf obediently bit down on the handle of the bag. Only then did it seem to notice the person beside them and gave Hang Sisi a sideways glance—an assessing look at a stranger.

Hang Sisi had already taken a few steps back after the wolf appeared. But since the direction back to the shelter was the same, and she’d hesitated for a moment, she didn’t have time to run before the wolf was already helping carry things.

Seeing that the grassland wolf didn’t seem aggressive toward her…

Hang Sisi suppressed her fear with difficulty and managed a shaky smile.

“Don’t be scared. Little wolf has a very gentle temperament,” Lin Qianyu said, knowing she was frightened—likely a leftover trauma from the rainforest incident. “It won’t hurt you. I’m here, you’re safe.”

Hang Sisi took a deep breath and nodded. “...Okay.”

With the grassland wolf leading the way, the road ahead became much easier.

They didn’t need to stop and scan the surroundings for lurking predators. They could just walk straight ahead.

After a while, Lin Qianyu suddenly remembered the zebra that had run off and asked, “Little wolf, did you see the zebra? I told it to go back and deliver the coconuts. Did it run off?”

“Awoo…”

In the grass pile.

“Mm okay… in the grass… the grass pile?” Repeating what the little wolf had said, Lin Qianyu suddenly realized what it meant and choked a bit. “That’s not a grass pile, that’s a shelter.”

A shelter is way more advanced than a grass pile!

It had a proper frame and support structure inside.

The grassland wolf stopped walking and blinked at her.

The word “shelter” might not mean much to the little wolf.

Lin Qianyu also blinked, locking eyes with the grassland wolf, trying to convey the meaning through eye contact.

Three seconds later, she sighed and gave up. “Fine, fine, let’s just call it a grass pile.”In the dim light, the grassland wolf seemed to squint its eyes slightly, as if it were smiling, and put down the basket it had been holding in its mouth. “Awooo…!”

Shelter…!

That one “awoo,” when spoken in the language of the grassland wolf, came out clear and articulate.

The moment it said that, even Lin Qianyu had to take a second to react—realizing the little wolf was deliberately teasing her.

Lin Qianyu’s eyes curved into smiling slits.

After coaxing Lin Qianyu, the grassland wolf picked the basket back up and continued forward. “Woo!”

Lin Qianyu replied promptly, “Coming!”

Standing frozen to the side, Hang Sisi didn’t know if she should follow or not.

“What’s wrong, Sisi?” Lin Qianyu noticed she wasn’t moving and turned to ask, “Aren’t you coming?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Hang Sisi answered repeatedly and quickly caught up.

【Hang Sisi: Suddenly feeling like I’m a bit extra here.】

【Hmm? Don’t put yourself down. But really, think carefully—was it really suddenly?】

【Hahaha what’s going on! No attacking the other guests allowed.】

【Stop laughing—remember, you’re all watching this through a screen. Hang Sisi gets the live front-row seat.】

After this comment appeared, the barrage of chat messages seemed to freeze for a second.

Then came a screen full of ellipses.

【……】

【You really have a talent for emotionally destroying people.】

On the way toward the shelter.

It was getting darker and darker.

The livestream equipment, having detected insufficient light, automatically switched to night vision.

The grasslands at night seemed even more dangerous than during the day.

The drone floated mid-air, and its camera captured a wider, more complete picture than what Lin Qianyu and the others could see.

For instance, a pair of green-glowing eyes in the distance.

And the low growl of a lion.

Many animals only come out to hunt at night.

What is night for humans to rest is the prelude to the predators’ midnight feast.

All along the way, the sounds of animals never stopped.

At first, Hang Sisi trembled in fear when she heard them, then gradually grew numb, and finally just gave up and thought, “Whatever, if something wants to bite me, let it.”

By the time they returned to the shelter, Hang Sisi wiped her forehead—and found it covered in cold sweat, purely from fear.“Growl——” The grassland wolf suddenly lowered its voice and let out a warning growl toward the shelter not far away.

“What’s wrong?” That kind of posture was a warning.

Lin Qianyu didn’t believe the little wolf would suddenly show hostility toward the shelter she had built.

The zebra carrying the coconuts was lying down near the water source. Clearly, the wolf’s warning wasn’t directed at the zebra either.

Hang Sisi also gasped, looking at the shelter as if it were some kind of monster.

As they got closer, a vague human silhouette could be seen on the other side of the shelter.

Yu Lingyu’s voice was on the verge of tears. “This really isn’t okay, Teacher Shi, please don’t do this. This is Qianyu-jie’s shelter. She’s coming back here—you can’t just…”

“What do you mean I can’t? Mind your words, you’re still a child. Even if you don’t respect me, I’m still your senior. Hasn’t anyone taught you since you were little to respect your elders and care for the young?”

Shi Jingyuan’s voice was clearly much more forceful than Yu Lingyu’s, and he righteously added, “What are you crying for? Young girls like you really don’t know manners. Say two words to you and you tear up—what, you want to say this old man is bullying you now?”

As he spoke, Shi Jingyuan even patted his own chest.

【I also think Yu Lingyu is a bit rude. How can she talk to a senior like that?】

【Exactly. It’s just some leaves put together—what’s the big deal about lying there for a bit? Aren’t Lin Qianyu’s fans saying she’s the goddess of the show? Would she really care about something so trivial?】

【Why is Yu Lingyu just standing there? Is she dead? Hurry up and apologize to Teacher Shi.】

Though Shi Jingyuan didn’t have a great reputation, he had indeed played several memorable roles.

Some fans even claimed that he could live off one particular role for a lifetime. Whether he killed or forgave in real life, just the memory of that character was enough to absolve him.

His fans had been filtered multiple times—extremely loyal and intense.

So now, even though Yu Lingyu was just kindly trying to talk him down without even using a harsh word, the livestream chat had already exploded with insults from Shi Jingyuan’s fans.

Most of the comments were demanding Yu Lingyu apologize.

As a rising young actress, Yu Lingyu certainly had popularity and a strong fanbase. But when facing an older veteran, just that one label of “senior” made it nearly impossible to fight back.

If this trended on social media, regardless of who was actually in the right, there would definitely be uninformed passersby criticizing them for “disrespecting their elders.”

Her fans were left treading on eggshells.

In the end, they just started flooding the chat with “Stay strong!” messages—

Trying to drown out the negativity.

They couldn’t fight back, but at least they could clear the screen.

While the chat raged with chaos, Yu Lingyu stood beside the shelter, sighing.

She had entered the industry with a smooth path and had never experienced a situation like this before.

She thought the variety show would be lighthearted and fun, a chance to play with her idols. But after less than half a day with Shi Jingyuan, she was already on the verge of collapse.

Yu Lingyu was desperate. “Teacher Shi, it’s really late. What if Qianyu-jie comes back and sees this?”

Who joins a wilderness survival show, then blatantly takes over someone else’s shelter while they’re away?

The production team didn’t explicitly forbid this kind of thing—but it was unethical.Also, if you set this precedent, what happens when others start building shelters later and the other guests begin snatching them too?

If you take it, then I’ll take it too—won’t everything just fall into chaos?

And once the idea of seizing shelters becomes deeply rooted, who would still bother building one themselves? You’d just wait for someone else to finish, then use your seniority to take it away.

Before long, the whole show would be ruined.

“Stop bothering me.” Shi Jingyuan was clearly annoyed by Yu Lingyu’s persistence. After everything he’d said, the girl still didn’t give in, constantly nagging outside and even disturbing his sleep.

Yu Lingyu shrank back at his scolding, both suffocated and furious to the point her teeth itched.

What kind of person is this!?

One last time, Yu Lingyu took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Even her tone became a bit solemn. “Teacher Shi, I’m just worried the animals Qianyu-jie brings might hurt you.”

“Look how timid you are. When you’re my age and have seen more of the entertainment world, you’ll see through such obvious scripts in one glance,” Shi Jingyuan said casually. “All this rescue center talk, private islands—do you really believe the animals you see haven’t been trained?”

“If you ask me, instead of wasting time pestering me, you’d be better off sucking up to the director. Maybe then you’d get a few animals to surround you too.”

“If Xiao Su can be made popular, so can a second one. Be smart about it.”

…

After hearing those words, Yu Lingyu was speechless for quite a while.

“Setting all that aside, you still shouldn’t take over someone else’s—” Her words halted abruptly when she noticed a shadow falling in front of her.

Yu Lingyu snapped her head up and opened her mouth, “Qian—”

Shi Jingyuan’s irritated voice suddenly rose sharply, cutting her off completely, “If I hear you call her ‘jie’ one more time, you can get the hell off this show!”

Lin Qianyu casually picked up a branch and, keeping some distance from the shelter, lifted the leaves covering the entrance with it.

Standing above, she looked down coldly at Shi Jingyuan lying inside. “Get out.”

Shi Jingyuan grew even more irritable at the sight. “You young girl, is that how you speak to your elders? Don’t you know basic manners?”

Lin Qianyu’s face was expressionless. “Please. Get out.”

【So polite all of a sudden.】

【That tone was almost too civil. I say let the zebra go in—it's a little punk and would be a great match for Shi Jingyuan.】

【How is this not polite? She didn’t even slap him—I’m crying.】

【Seriously, why does Lin Qianyu have so many fans? She has no filter and doesn’t respect her seniors at all. What kind of "straightforward" image is this supposed to be?】

…

Those two repeated "get out"s from Lin Qianyu were like slaps across Shi Jingyuan’s face, giving him no face at all, ripping apart the whole elder persona he’d tried to uphold.

Shi Jingyuan shot up from where he lay. “How dare you speak like that! Do you have no respect for age or status?! Ah… my heart…” His chest heaved violently. He was older and clearly couldn’t handle the stress, panting like a bellows with a hole in it.

Even in the dark of night, you could feel he was glaring with reddened eyes.

But even seeing this, Lin Qianyu showed no intention of helping.

Age often brings with it a host of health issues—things like asthma and heart disease are common. Shi Jingyuan did seem to be in bad shape.

However… Lin Qianyu frowned. Just looking at him, he wasn’t making any move to search for medication or take anything. Normally, wouldn’t someone in this condition carry their meds on them?This episode of the variety show had strict rules, but life-saving medication was definitely allowed.

The director just wanted some dramatic entertainment—not to actually endanger anyone’s life. You’d have to be insane to ban medicine.

So… he clearly had the meds but wasn’t taking them, just sitting there wheezing and panting. Lin Qianyu found it baffling.

Hang Sisi was still quite worried something might actually happen to Shi Jingyuan. She stepped forward and asked, “Teacher Shi, where’s your medicine? Is it in your pocket?”

Shi Jingyuan impatiently swatted away Hang Sisi’s reaching hand, then kept glaring at Lin Qianyu with bloodshot eyes.

It was very much the look of: if Lin Qianyu doesn’t come over to help me, I just won’t take the medicine.

Hang Sisi opened her mouth, not knowing what to do, and looked at Lin Qianyu in hesitation.

Yu Lingyu tugged her sleeve and, in the darkness, subtly shook her head.

Shi Jingyuan’s intentions were obvious. If you weren’t initially frightened, just watching him now made it clear—he was faking it.

Or at least, he might be feeling uncomfortable, but it wasn’t as serious as he made it seem.

Lin Qianyu sighed lightly and, seemingly a little impatient, furrowed her brows and said, “Are you dying or not?”

Shi Jingyuan’s pupils contracted sharply. “You—cough, cough—how dare you, cough, cough…”

This time, Shi Jingyuan truly choked on his breath. The moment he opened his mouth, he gasped wrong and started coughing violently, like he’d cough his lungs out if left alone.

Hang Sisi and Yu Lingyu both sucked in a breath. Maybe it was the sudden nighttime chill, but goosebumps rose all over.

“If you don’t get out, I’ll—”

“What will you do?! Hit me?!” Shi Jingyuan slapped the ground in a fury. “You youngsters are getting too full of yourselves! You still have to survive in this industry—what good does it do you to offend me?!”

“How could I possibly hit a senior?” Lin Qianyu raised her hand, and the little wolf stepped forward, sitting calmly in front of her. The nearby wolf pack also gradually emerged and surrounded them.

Over a dozen fully grown prairie wolves—at night, their glowing green eyes stared at him from close range.

Shi Jingyuan’s breath caught. He instinctively leaned back. He’d seen plenty in his years, even filmed on the Inner Mongolian plains and encountered wolves.

But back then, the wolves were always at a distance. Now, there were so many, barely half a meter away, eyeing him like prey.

The lead wolf especially looked unfriendly—not attacking yet, but giving off the clear impression that if Lin Qianyu gave the word, it would immediately lunge for his throat.

Shi Jingyuan could downplay it when it was Yu Lingyu facing the situation. But now that he was in it himself, his heart pounded faster and faster, and a tense, suffocating pressure settled over everything.

“It’s just borrowing your shelter to rest for a bit.”

Ultimately, it was Shi Jingyuan who broke the stalemate. “I’ll get up, okay?”

He stood with a stiff face. The darkness hid how tense his expression was, but the awkwardness of his movement made it clear how shaken he was.

“Young people nowadays, sigh…”

Before he could even finish his muttering complaint about kids not respecting elders, Lin Qianyu stepped forward and directly untied the rope holding the shelter together. Without the support, the entire structure collapsed instantly.

Rustle—piles of leaves scattered across the ground.

Shi Jingyuan was stunned, staring blankly at the palm fronds all over the floor. “You—what are you doing?”

Lin Qianyu replied coolly, “It’s dirty. I’ll build a new one.”Anyway, this kind of shelter was easy to build—once the supports and ropes were in place, all that was left was weaving in palm leaves on top.

“If you didn’t want it, then why did you call me out?!” Shi Jingyuan was furious. He felt Lin Qianyu was deliberately targeting him.

After all, the moment he stepped out, the shelter was dismantled. Lin Qianyu wasn’t hiding it at all—it was an open provocation.

Staring at the enraged Shi Jingyuan,

Lin Qianyu remained expressionless and said, “We’re not close. Even if you dropped dead, it wouldn’t be my job to dig your grave. Get lost and stop bothering me.”

Shi Jingyuan opened his mouth, clearly about to say “Fine, fine,” but not a single word made it out of his throat.

Under the watchful gaze of a pack of prairie wolves, he slunk away in frustration.

【Holy crap, who else is loving this—Shi Jingyuan playing the big shot and ending up getting put in his place like a junior. So satisfying.】

【Exactly! Just look at how he acts in the other livestream rooms—strutting around like he owns the place, trying to mooch off anyone who finds food. Does nothing himself, just waits for others to feed him in the wild.】

【Lin Qianyu was so rude!】

【Rude? Lin-jie didn’t even do anything. Didn’t Shi Jingyuan say the wolf was trained? Then what are you afraid of? Trained wolves won’t bite, right? Easy for that old man to talk big when he’s not the one being stared down.】

…

After being forced to leave, Shi Jingyuan walked a few steps and even let out a few annoyed coughs, clearly waiting for some junior to come fawn over him and smooth things over.

But nearby, Hang Sisi and Yu Lingyu just kept their heads down, pretending not to see or hear anything in the cover of night.

As long as they weren’t called out by name, they didn’t intend to get involved.

In truth, they hadn’t even teamed up with him. Shi Jingyuan had just forced himself into their group, using his seniority.

Seeing no one was coming over, Shi Jingyuan couldn’t save face. He waved his hand angrily and stormed off.

But probably still wary of wild animals roaming at night, he didn’t go far and just sat under a tree.

“Lin-jie, let me help you build the shelter,” Yu Lingyu said a little sheepishly. Maybe she felt guilty for not getting Shi Jingyuan out earlier, so she offered to help now.

Hang Sisi chimed in too, “Yeah, let’s do it together. More hands, faster work.”

“It’s fine, this’ll take me like fifteen minutes,” Lin Qianyu said. “You two should focus on your own shelters first.”

As she spoke, Lin Qianyu had already set up the framework.

All that was left was to gather fresh palm leaves to fill it in.

Seeing this, Hang Sisi and Yu Lingyu realized there wasn’t much they could help with.

It was getting dark, and Hang Sisi still had a lot to prepare, so she said, “Then I’ll head back, Qianyu-jie. My shelter’s right over there—if you need anything, just call and I’ll hear you.”

Lin Qianyu nodded, “Alright.”

Yu Lingyu looked at Hang Sisi, then at Lin Qianyu. She was quite interested in the prairie wolves, but being too close still made her nervous.

Seeing Hang Sisi was leaving, she hurried to catch up. “Lin-jie, I’m heading out too—Sisi, wait for me!”

Once the others had gone, it quickly fell silent nearby.

Lin Qianyu patted the little wolf’s head and asked, “Have you all had dinner yet? I brought a lot of abalone. How about we roast some?”“Woo…”

The wolf pack had clearly returned late because most of them had gone out hunting during the day with the main group.

Originally, their usual activity time was at night.

But now that they'd already eaten early, they could use the night to rest.

After finishing the shelter, Lin Qianyu stood up and headed to the lakeside.

She cupped her hands together to scoop water, used the fresh water to wipe herself down, and after washing her hair, changed into a clean set of clothes.

Hair dried out by seawater always felt stiff.

Now that she'd washed it with fresh water, it felt much better.

Since she couldn’t find any soap pods, Lin Qianyu used wild aloe vera to clean herself, and it actually worked pretty well.

Lin Qianyu curled a strand of damp hair around her finger and waved it in front of the prairie wolf’s nose. “Does it smell good?”

She took a sniff herself—there was a faint astringent scent of grass, along with a hard-to-describe something else, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

At least, not unpleasant to Lin Qianyu.

The prairie wolf took a step back, moved its paws, and judging from its expression, the scent might have been… complicated.

It flopped down beside her, absentmindedly dragging its paw back and forth—until it happened to rest right over its nose.

It really did look like it was covering its nose.

Even so, it still gave a muffled, “Woo…”

Alright.

“Haha!” Lin Qianyu burst into laughter, nearly doubling over. “Is that your ‘smells good’ face?”

【Little Wolf: Smells bad, but if Linlin likes it, then it’s good.】

【So disgusted, but still has to act sweet.】

【Awwww the little wolf is so cute! Kiss kiss kiss, aunty’s gonna kiss you bald.】

…

Lin Qianyu built a campfire, placed a relatively flat stone slab over it, and after cleaning the giant scallops and abalones, she placed them on the slab, shells and all.

The temperature dropped at night on the prairie, so leaving the devil ray out overnight wouldn’t be a problem.

At some point, the zebra had flopped down, clearly exhausted, and was now sleeping.

Lin Qianyu went over and took out the coconuts, stacking them around the shelter so she could just reach out and grab one whenever she wanted to eat.

The scallops opened up quickly.

Lin Qianyu had just finished peeling the husk off a coconut and hadn’t even cracked the hard shell yet when the scallops were already ready to eat.

After cleaning up the scallops, she kept just a few pieces of scallop and abalone meat for herself, giving the rest to the prairie wolves.

With so many adult wolves in the pack, they definitely wouldn’t be full on just that.But each prairie wolf had different tastes—if they weren’t interested in a particular food, they’d just take a bite to try it. With each wolf taking one bite, there would still be a few pieces left over.

Lin Qianyu took a bite of abalone. “Freshly caught abalone really is different.”

Even though a lot of time had passed on the way back, the texture of the abalone hadn’t been affected at all.

She opened two coconuts and drank the coconut water. It could be stored if she couldn’t finish it, but Lin Qianyu didn’t have any container suitable for long-term storage.

Strictly speaking… she didn’t even have a container to hold coconut water at all, let alone store it.

After eating a few pieces of scallop and abalone and drinking plenty of coconut water, Lin Qianyu felt quite full.

She sat by the fire to warm up and dry her hair.

The shelter wasn’t fully sealed, and sleeping with wet hair outdoors carried a high risk of illness—like catching a cold or facial paralysis. In wilderness survival, you had to be cautious about everything.

Hang Sisi came over from not far away, holding a thick tree branch and quietly asked, “Qianyu-jie, can I borrow some fire?”

In the rainforest, they had Yin Youlin’s lighter to make fire. They’d used it sparingly and managed to keep the fire going all the way through the show.

But over here, she hadn’t managed to get a lighter when they were grabbing supplies, so she had no choice but to borrow.

“Mm.” Lin Qianyu pointed to the blazing fire. “Go ahead yourself.”

“Thank you, Qianyu-jie!” Hang Sisi placed the thick tree branch into the fire. The branch she brought had been specially prepared—with fabric wrapped around the top so it would burn longer. Otherwise, if she ran all the way back and the fire went out as soon as she got there, it’d be a waste.

“Oh, right, Qianyu-jie.” While waiting for the branch to catch fire, Hang Sisi lowered her voice and said, “Shi Jingyuan didn’t leave. He’s just sitting over on the left side, and it doesn’t look like he’s built a shelter. I think he might still want to steal yours.”

Hang Sisi didn’t believe for a second that someone like Shi Jingyuan would really spend the night on the open grassland under the sky.

For all she knew, he might pretend to be cold and try to guilt-trip his way in.

Lin Qianyu pressed her lips together, glanced at the prairie wolves beside her, and hesitated. “I don’t think he would.”

After clashing with her twice and gaining nothing, Shi Jingyuan would have to be crazy to keep provoking her.

Lin Qianyu didn’t dwell on the topic and suddenly asked, “How many shelters did you build?”

“Two,” Hang Sisi answered without hiding anything. “We originally wanted to make one big enough for both of us to sleep in and stay warm. But the support frame wasn’t strong enough—if we forced it, it’d collapse. So we just built two adjacent ones.”

Thinking of all the effort, Hang Sisi couldn’t help but sigh.

Lin Qianyu could build a shelter in under an hour. With a basic frame, she could finish even faster.

Hang Sisi and her partner had been working nonstop ever since they found a location, and only now had they managed to finish.

After a pause, Hang Sisi suddenly realized something, and her eyes widened. “No way. He wouldn’t…”

Wouldn’t?

Why wouldn’t he…

He had dared to try and steal Lin Qianyu’s—what made her think he wouldn’t try to steal theirs, especially since he wouldn’t even dare breathe loudly in front of Shi Jingyuan?

Hang Sisi: “…”

Don’t ask—just know that she was in despair.

Compared to Guo Yanpeng and An Lanqing—one blatantly evil, the other playing backup—Shi Jingyuan was like a giant immovable Buddha statue.Even the slightest misstep might get you labeled with “respect your elders and care for the young.”

Who would dare to speak up then?

Lin Qianyu comforted her, “Look on the bright side—maybe he won’t for now?”

Hang Sisi sniffled. “For now…”

That basically meant it was just a matter of time.

She could already imagine what Shi Jingyuan would say when trying to steal their shelter.

It would be nothing more than, “Just squeeze in a little,” “It’s just sharing one, don’t be so stingy,” “Don’t you know to respect your elders?”

Others might get by with one good trick—Shi Jingyuan could make them give up their shelter with just a few sentences.

Even though this might happen soon, at least it hadn’t happened yet.

Getting upset now over something that hadn’t even happened wasn’t rational.

Hang Sisi pushed aside those negative and defeated thoughts for now, shook the thick branch in her hand that was burning like a torch, and said, “I’m heading back then, Qianyu-jie.”

Having borrowed the fire, her steps felt much lighter.

But as soon as she returned, what she saw was Shi Jingyuan walking around with his hands behind his back—pretending to take a stroll, but clearly scoping the place out.

Hang Sisi: “…”

We’re doomed.

The fire was still burning.

Lin Qianyu scooped out the coconut meat from the shells, turning two coconuts into four bowls.

But since they were split in half with a kitchen knife, the edges were naturally a bit rough and uneven. After shaving them down with the knife, their sizes didn’t match anymore.

Lin Qianyu didn’t mind the details—as long as they worked.

She stacked the scallop shells to use as plates.

With that, the utensils were complete.

She tidied up the scattered scraps on the ground, gathered them into a pile, and burned them.

Staring at the still-burning fire, Lin Qianyu hesitated—should she put it out before sleeping?

The nights were cold, and the fire provided warmth, but leaving it burning unattended while sleeping might be risky.

After thinking it through, she chose to extinguish the fire.

“Come on, Little Wolf, time to sleep,” Lin Qianyu said, pressing stones over the fire to smother it. Then she stood up, dusted off her hands, and headed toward the shelter.

“Awooo!”

Feng Jingye’s jacket was folded neatly and placed to the side. Lin Qianyu used her own backup jacket to cover herself. It was mid-length, and curled up on her side, it could cover down to her ankles.

Her warmth relied on the prairie wolves.

The toasty little wolf even made soft snoring sounds while it slept.Lin Qianyu had been busy for so long without much rest—by the time she finished tidying up, it was already past midnight before she finally went to sleep.

She was hugging something soft and furry, and in her half-asleep daze, she didn’t even know when she’d drifted off—she simply lost consciousness shortly after closing her eyes.

All through the night, the howls of wolves rose and fell in waves.

Unidentified animals fled in panic.

There were frightened shrieks of the hunted.

And low growls from predators.

With her eyes closed, it felt like she could hear the sound of beasts tearing into prey, the ripping of flesh, and the crunching of bones—grinding and crackling—right by her ears.

Who could sleep through all that?!

Hang Sisi and Yu Lingyu huddled together inside their shelter, curled up tightly. Surrounded by all the sounds, it felt like they were trapped in a circle of beasts—made worse by Shi Jingyuan’s snoring, as loud as a dying pig.

Hang Sisi kept sighing, too scared to sleep. She eventually got up and sat outside, tossing some branches onto the still-burning fire, letting it flare higher.

With fire here, wild animals wouldn’t approach recklessly.

From where she sat, she could see Lin Qianyu’s shelter in the distance.

…

A light breeze rustled the palm leaves atop the shelter.

The ever-rising howls and roars roused Lin Qianyu even in her dreams.

She furrowed her brows unconsciously, shifted her arm, curled up more tightly, and pressed her ear against her shoulder—instinctively trying to block out the noise.

The prairie wolf lay on its side, its body half-wrapped around her protectively. It lowered its head to gently lick her cheek, then lifted its head and looked outward.

Its eyes glinted faintly in the dark. The noise outside didn’t seem to be dying down at all.

Lin Qianyu’s brow furrowed deeper—her sleep clearly restless, as if she were about to wake up from the disturbance.

The prairie wolf gently nudged her before quietly getting up and walking out.

As the alpha moved, the scattered wolves around it also rose.

They were silent, but from a distance, the synchronized motion made quite a stir.

Hang Sisi and Yu Lingyu exchanged glances—they had clearly seen the wolves leave.

They were still wondering what was going on.

After a few low growls from the prairie wolves, the chaotic sounds of hunting suddenly vanished.

Not long after, the wolves returned, their movements light and quiet in the darkness.

Just before reaching the shelter, the prairie wolf paused, slowly turned its face, and looked in Hang Sisi’s direction.

Its feral gaze hadn’t yet softened. Hang Sisi instinctively leaned back, and Yu Lingyu let out a frightened “ah!” before hastily covering her mouth. In the stillness, she could hear her heart pounding in her chest.

The prairie wolf lowered its eyes and ignored the two of them, bowing its head as it walked back into the shelter.

Lin Qianyu was still asleep, though she seemed about to wake, fumbling around by her side in a daze.The little wolf walked over in a few steps and placed itself under Lin Qianyu’s hand.

Lin Qianyu’s fingertips paused for a moment, then she wrapped her arms around it and tucked the little wolf into her embrace, lowering her head and burying her face into its soft fur. “Mmm…”

As she breathed, she rubbed against the prairie wolf’s fur. Her voice was light, carrying a faint sigh. “Little… wolf…”

The prairie wolf let out a low reply, “Woo.”

Author's note: More updates, more updates.

Good night, sleep early, love every one of you.