Chapter 55

Chapter 55

The Little Elephant Gazed Longingly, Its Trunk Raised Along with It

Nighttime brought a drop in temperature.

The shelter blocked most of the wind. Hugging the warm body beside her tightly, Lin Qianyu slept deeply through the night, completely undisturbed by the cold.

It wasn’t until dawn broke and faint light filtered through the layered palm leaf gaps that she woke up.

Opening her eyes, she saw that the prairie wolf was still in her arms, but its gaze was fixed through the crack at the entrance of the shelter, looking outside.

Lin Qianyu yawned and rolled over with the prairie wolf in her arms. “Morning, little wolf.”

“Woo…”

“What are you looking at?” Lin Qianyu sat up and directly lifted the curtain. Hang Sisi was sitting cross-legged by the water, fishing using the method Lin Qianyu had taught her.

“Craving fish?” She ruffled the little wolf’s head, messing up its fur before slowly smoothing it back down. “The orca gave me a stingray yesterday—how about we have that for breakfast?”

Stingray wasn’t part of the prairie wolves’ natural diet.

But the little wolf raised by Lin Qianyu had eaten all sorts of strange things—stingray was nothing unusual.

Pulling aside the palm leaves, Lin Qianyu stepped out to stretch her limbs. It was early, the sun wasn’t yet hot, and it felt like it was only around six or seven in the morning. Feeling the chill, she ducked back into the shelter to grab her jacket.

The clothes she wore to the sea yesterday had been rinsed with freshwater and were now hanging on the frame of the abandoned shelter.

Lin Qianyu touched them—cold and still damp to the touch.

They’d dry well under the strong midday sun.

The prairie wolf went out to hunt while Lin Qianyu headed to the lakeside to splash water on her face.

“Is this the earliest I’ve ever started a stream?”

The cool lake water instantly swept away all sleepiness, refreshing her completely. Lin Qianyu let out a relaxed breath.

She had forgotten to turn on the stream last night—the equipment had been filming scenery outside and hadn’t captured anything inside the shelter.

Now that she was on camera, the stream had officially begun. So it was fair to say this was her earliest start ever.

【More than starting early, I prefer when you stream late into the night without ending.】

【Did you sleep well last night, Lin-jie? Didn’t the grassland get noisy?】

“Pretty well.” Lin Qianyu casually wiped her face dry. Her memory of last night was a little fuzzy. After thinking for a moment, she said, “I think it got noisy for a while? But then it quieted down—probably finished hunting and left.”

She hadn’t gone out to check, so she wasn’t really sure what happened outside.

【LOL, finished hunting and left.】

【Fair enough. Little wolf went out hunting last night—there was no footage, but judging by the noise, even the vultures probably got a bite.】

【I swear I saw little wolf slap a lion and shout: ‘What the hell are you roaring for?’】

Lin Qianyu: “???”

“Last night… little wolf went out?” She looked through the comments, all exaggerated, but they all pointed to one thing—little wolf had gone out and muted the other animals.

Lin Qianyu raised her eyebrows slightly, a faint smile spreading across her face. “Isn’t little wolf the best?”She splashed another handful of water on her face, the smile at the corners of her lips refusing to fade. She couldn't help but clear her throat and said, “Jealous, huh?”

Bullet comments: 【?】

I kindly told you what happened last night, and this is how you stab me in the heart!

【Unfollowing. Talk to me through a message in a bottle.】

【Wuwuwu I'm not jealous, I was already jealous yesterday, and today—I’m still as sour as a lemon!】

【Why is little wolf so wonderful, ahhh, I really want to raise one.】

...

Lin Qianyu looked at the bullet comments and nodded. Who wouldn’t want to raise such a good little wolf?

After a simple wash-up, she started preparing breakfast.

The stingray was still fresh. Whether it had been dead or alive when the orca flung it ashore was unclear, but after a night on land without water, it was certainly completely dead now.

Lin Qianyu cut the cleaned stingray into small pieces. This kind of fish could be grilled whole in large chunks, as it would curl and shrink during the cooking process.

But she didn’t have tools large enough, so she simply cut it into smaller pieces and skewered them. If they shrank too much, she could stir-fry them until dry and turn them into snacks.

With that in mind, Lin Qianyu cut up half of the stingray, set it over the fire to cook. The fire couldn’t grill the whole fish at once, so she had to cook it half at a time.

Stingray had a strong fishy smell, which Lin Qianyu immediately noticed during the grilling.

Especially since the only seasoning she had was salt—there was no way to mask the fishiness of the meat.

She sniffed it, sprinkling salt while saying, “If you're eating stingray in the wild, I recommend grilling it until it’s well-done. A longer cook might mellow out the fishy smell. Otherwise, it’s really hard to eat plain.”

At home, stingray was cooked with a full set of seasonings and marinated in advance to remove the odor.

After flipping the stingray skewers, Lin Qianyu placed stones on the fire to reduce the heat.

As she moved, she noticed a message on her watch.

She put down the skewers and opened the group chat.

It was a notice from the director.

Su Yuxing: 【Everyone has successfully survived the first day on the grassland. Despite the tough conditions, no guest chose to give up. The production team deeply appreciates your perseverance, so we’ve hidden secret treasures throughout the grassland. Inside are useful supplies and some canned snacks to stave off hunger.】

【The treasure locations won’t be marked, and the show won’t provide any hints. You can search for them through your own efforts.】

【Note: All the canned goods are near their expiration date. If you don't find them before they expire, you'll have to turn in any expired cans you come across afterward.】

That expiration date essentially set the time limit for this treasure drop.

Lin Qianyu wasn’t lacking in clothes or anything like that, but she was short on daily supplies and clothes, so she typed: 【Can each guest only take one treasure?】

Su Yuxing: 【First come, first served. As long as you’re capable, you can make all the treasures yours.】

The treasures were hidden deep. Su Yuxing had personally supervised the hiding process. Stashing them in cracks between rocks or trees was child's play—they were also buried underground or wrapped in waterproof bags and submerged in water.

They weren’t going to be easy to find.

When it came to treasure hunting, ability was one part of the equation. Luck was the other—and you couldn’t do without either.Putting down her phone, Hang Sisi had just finished processing half of the fish she caught before running off to discuss something with Yu Lingyu.

A moment later, the two of them came running back in a hurry.

Hang Sisi really wanted to go treasure hunting, but remembering the agreement with Lin Qianyu from the day before, she hesitated. “Qianyu-jie, we’re thinking of going to look for treasure first. Can I trouble you to teach me how to make a fishing net when we get back?”

Lin Qianyu remained unhurried, taking a bite of stingray to taste it. “Sure, go handle your stuff first. You can learn how to weave the net anytime.”

Hang Sisi nodded and was about to leave when she noticed Lin Qianyu wasn’t getting up. She asked curiously, “Qianyu-jie, you’re not going? I saw the other guests already heading out. If we’re late, the treasure will all be dug up by others.”

Animals didn’t seem very helpful in treasure hunting—unless they could track the scent of the person who hid the treasures and follow it.

But that was obviously impossible. Not only would the director not let that staff member be on site, even if the guests wanted to track someone, they wouldn’t know who had buried the treasure.

So this treasure hunt put all the guests on the same starting line.

It was better to act early.

Lin Qianyu continued to enjoy her relaxed morning. “No rush. Want to try some stingray?”

Hang Sisi and Yu Lingyu, anxious to find treasure, didn’t stay to try the stingray. They quickly declined and ran off.

Lin Qianyu munched on the skewer with crispy skin, the original taste of the meat already gone. “A little cumin and chili would’ve made this so much better.”

Grilled fish without fat dried out fast, but with a little salt, it was still edible.

“Little wolf must’ve gone back to the pack. If it went hunting, it shouldn’t be too far.” Once the stingray was cooked, Lin Qianyu doused the fire. The ostrich egg water bottle hanging nearby was now warm too.

Perfect for drinking on the go.

“I’ll go play with the pups later.” Unlike adult grassland wolves, the pups were round, chubby, and completely embodied “small, pitiful, but meaty”—they were especially satisfying to pet.

Chasing Wind was grazing not far away.

Even though being so close to a wolf pack was dangerous, as long as the wolves weren’t drooling over you, this might be safer than being with the zebra herd before.

There was no need to be constantly on guard for cheetah ambushes or worry about lion attacks. The zebra had finally gotten a solid night’s sleep.

In a good mood, it even ate more grass than usual this morning.

The grass near the water was especially tender. Picking at the fresh tips, the zebra munched as it swished its tail.

Lin Qianyu wasn’t in a rush to search for treasure, but fans in the live chat were starting to get anxious and began urging her.

【Yin Youlin already found two! Lin-jie, go quickly!】

【Nie Lingyang also found one, but Shi Jingyuan snatched it from him midway. That look of silent fury—pitiful but hilarious.】

The treasures were limited in number. Every one the other guests found was one fewer available.

If no one had found any for a long time, fans wouldn’t be reacting. But within less than an hour, several had already been uncovered, so naturally, the fans were getting nervous.

Lin Qianyu finished the last bite of grilled stingray and wrapped the rest in leaves to pack into her backpack as dry rations.

“Alright, alright, I’m going, I’m going.” She slung on her hiking pack. “Chasing Wind.”

“Whinny—!” The zebra, which had been grazing with its head down, quickly turned and ran toward Lin Qianyu.

Mounting the zebra, Lin Qianyu wasn’t immediately sure where to go. The places where other guests had already found treasure were no longer worth checking—the chance of two treasures in the same area was very low. It was better to try her luck in a broader area.Lin Qianyu casually pointed in a direction and said, “Let’s go this way. Go slow, don’t run.”

The zebra obediently responded.

When told to go slowly, the zebra didn’t even dare take two steps in one—it walked forward steadily, one step at a time, just like a person.

Sitting on the zebra’s back, Lin Qianyu could leisurely drink water.

This was where having a ride really showed its benefits.

While the other guests were trekking across the grasslands on foot, Lin Qianyu was eating and drinking on zebra-back.

“Wait a second!” Lin Qianyu suddenly noticed something and stopped the zebra.

She got off Chasing Wind’s back and walked toward some nearby shrubs, deeper in. The livestream equipment got stuck and couldn’t follow her any further, leaving the viewers wondering what she was doing.

Under the eager eyes of her fans in the livestream, she returned with a small bunch of unknown red berries.

Barrage comments: 【……】

Everyone was guessing what kind of treasure you found, and this is what you’re showing us?

Lin Qianyu got back on her zebra and ate one of the berries. “I think this wild fruit is called yageda, also known as Northern Red Bean? It has good nutritional value, can be used to make wine and jam. Tastes good too. Just not a lot of it.”

She wasn't sure where this small clump had come from—maybe there had originally been a large patch of Northern Red Bean growing here, and most had died off for unknown reasons, leaving only this bit behind.

But still, the fact that even a little remained meant that somewhere on this island, there must be more.

“I’ll look for more later. If I find enough, I’ll teach you guys how to make wine,” Lin Qianyu said, already imagining all the ways the berries could be used.

To Lin Qianyu, wild fruits were more precious than meat in the wild—especially rare ones like these.

The path she had chosen seemed rarely traveled by people.

Manually hidden treasures would inevitably leave some traces behind—and from what the director said, they had only recently been hidden.

Without any rainfall to wash away the clues, there should at least have been some footprints.

But there was nothing here.

Lin Qianyu thought, could the director have gone out of his way to clean up the traces after hiding the treasures?

As she pondered this, she spotted a few wild yaks wallowing in a mud pit not far away.

Lin Qianyu pointed in the direction of the yaks. “Chasing Wind, let’s go over there.”

The zebra paused mid-step and looked at Lin Qianyu with disbelief.

“What kind of look is that? I’m not asking you to hunt, just to go over. No fighting.”

【Hahaha, zebra: Go over? Are you sure? Just the two of us?】

【Don’t chicken out, zebra bro!】

After hearing Lin Qianyu’s reassurance, the zebra slowly approached. It only paced around at the edge of the mud pit and didn’t dare go in.

Wild yaks had tempers too.

The zebra just circled around the mud pit, pretending to pass by.Lin Qianyu didn’t intend to get too close—just close enough to speak clearly. “Brother Yak! Have you seen a vehicle pass by in this area? Or anyone walking around wearing clothes with this symbol on it?”

She pointed to the program logo on her clothes.

The wild yak might not understand the word “logo,” but if it saw the image before, it might remember.

The wild yak turned its head and lifted its chin slightly toward the right.

“That way? Thank you, Brother Yak!” Lin Qianyu patted the zebra. “Chasing Wind, let’s go.”

With a clear direction, the zebra picked up speed.

The wild yak, slower to react, turned its head back and continued soaking in the mud pit. The next moment, it suddenly realized something and whipped its head around, splashing muddy water onto its companion’s face. The other yak, now covered in mud, was completely confused.

The yak that had pointed the way stared at Lin Qianyu’s fading figure, stunned for a long time.

【Wild Yak: Someone asked me for directions, and I gave them… Wait—someone asked me for directions?!!】

【Hahaha, that’s some royal-grade translator energy right there.】

【Watching that just made my brainstem collapse from laughter.】

At first glance, it seemed reasonable. On closer inspection, it was both logical and absurd in a hilarious way.

The key point was—thanks to the wild yak’s directions, Lin Qianyu really did find a treasure.

“Now for the exciting treasure-unboxing moment.” To show her respect for the program team, Lin Qianyu even rolled up her sleeves. “Come on, Chasing Wind, you dig.”

Zebra: “???”

Whether it wanted to or not, the zebra had to dig.

With its front hooves targeting the spot Lin Qianyu pointed out, it began pawing the ground.

The production crew had disguised the area after burying the treasure, deliberately covering it with dry branches and fallen leaves—not too thoroughly, though.

Other places had leaves scattered sparsely, but this spot had a thick pile—obviously suspicious even to a fool.

But it was from this seemingly casually placed cover that Lin Qianyu spotted a subtle difference in the color of the soil.

With the zebra’s help, treasure-hunting became much easier.

After all, Lin Qianyu didn’t have tools like shovels or pickaxes—digging by hand would be her only option.

The zebra wasn’t as fast at digging as a big cat, but its hooves easily broke apart the soft earth.

Once the treasure chest was partially exposed, Lin Qianyu stepped forward and said, “That’s enough, I’ll handle the rest.”

To make it easier to lift, the box had handles on both sides.

Lin Qianyu grabbed one side, propped it against the edge, then stepped back and yanked it up the slope in one go.

Examining the box, she gave it a couple of knocks and listened to the sound. The material was pretty solid—not cheap foam or plastic.

Lin Qianyu remarked, “The production team really splurged on props this time.”

Inside the box were a few cans, a compressed bath towel, and two compressed towels the size of milk tablets.

Usually, when you buy compressed bath towels, they come in a big bag with five or six individually wrapped pieces. But here, the box only had one compressed bath towel and two compressed face towels.The oversized box made the items inside look especially small.

They even looked smaller than the canned food.

Still, these were important daily necessities, and Lin Qianyu was very satisfied.

After packing the items into her backpack, she picked up the box.

Su Yuxing: 【Attention, guests! When searching for treasure, you may only take the items from the box. The box itself must be left in place for staff retrieval.】

The director, who had been watching Lin Qianyu’s stream, immediately stepped in to intervene.

Lin Qianyu paused. “Any moderators here? Please kick the director out.”

Su Yuxing: 【?】

As soon as that message appeared, Su Yuxing vanished from the stream, and a banner popped up at the top: 【(Su Yuxing has been muted for 360 days)】

【Pfft—hahaha, you can mute the director?】

【Lin-jie: If I see a box, it’s mine. What do you mean I can’t take it? Get rid of whoever said that.】

【Props to that mod. She doesn’t play around—asked to mute, and she really did.】

But the director’s account had special privileges in the stream. Though he was booted before he could react, now that he rejoined, the mute was automatically lifted.

Lin Qianyu said, “I’ll just take the box back for now—this place is too remote. Saves you guys an extra trip.”

Su Yuxing: “……”

He didn’t believe her.

The director added: 【Fine, but don’t let the grassland wolves watch over it once you’re back.】

Lin Qianyu replied with a troubled look, “Grassland wolves are wild animals. How could I order them around?”

She said it innocently, yet with complete confidence.

And thinking it over, it actually sounded reasonable.

She turned her head and spotted the zebra trying to sneak away. “Chasing Wind, don’t run! Come carry the box.”

The zebra scraped mud off its hoof onto a tree, then slunk over dejectedly after failing to escape.

Lin Qianyu placed the box on the zebra’s back, then turned to the camera and said, “Alright, that’s settled. Once filming is over, I’ll return the box to you.”

Su Yuxing: 【…Thanks.】

Lin Qianyu smiled slightly and said sincerely, “We know each other so well—no need to be so polite.”

Su Yuxing ground his teeth.

【Hahaha I’m literally dying of laughter.】

【Other guests: take the loot and go. Lin-jie: I’ll hold on to the whole box for you.】

【Help—Is Han Sisi watching Lin-jie’s stream too? She’s dragging Yu Lingyu back to snatch the box.】Originally, all the guests were focused on finding treasure. If they found something and didn’t take it immediately, what if another guest saw it and snatched it?

After all, the production team only said “first come, first served”—they never said the items couldn’t be stolen once in hand.

Some guests, well aware of Su Yuxing’s personality, grabbed their items and ran without hesitation.

However, the moment Lin Qianyu picked up the treasure box, fans in her stream started spreading the news to other live streams.

So, when other guests saw the barrage of comments, they began turning back—especially Yin Youlin, who ran while shouting, “What a waste, what a waste!”

And it was true. With such a good-quality box, why not use it for something?

Even if it was just taken back to the shelter to use as a normal storage box, it would be great.

As a result... the director couldn’t even argue with Lin Qianyu in her stream about that one box—he had to rush to save whichever treasure boxes were still nearby.

Saving even one was a win.

With the box handed over to the zebra to take back, Lin Qianyu also turned around, taking a different route to continue treasure hunting.

But rather than “treasure hunting,” it was more like observing the grassland environment and foraging for unfamiliar wild fruits.

The treasure chests were just a bonus.

If she found one, she’d take it. If not, she wouldn’t force it.

After delivering the box, Chasing Wind came back along the same path to find her.

When Lin Qianyu got tired of walking, she rode the zebra around for fun.

In fact, people had tried to domesticate zebras before, but the return never matched the investment. Plus, zebras had more stubborn tempers than proper horses, so breeders eventually gave up on developing zebras.

Biting into a white wild fruit that tasted like a pear, Lin Qianyu paused mid-chew, hesitating. “I think I just heard an elephant?”

She frowned slightly and patted the zebra’s neck, signaling Chasing Wind to stop.

Standing still, Lin Qianyu focused and listened carefully. In the distance, she clearly heard the sharp call of an elephant.

Elephants could communicate with infrasound that humans couldn’t hear, but that cry just now was loud and urgent.

She couldn’t make out what the elephant was saying from this far away.

Lin Qianyu made a snap decision: “Let’s go check it out.”

The zebra immediately turned and ran in the direction she pointed.

…

From afar, before they even saw the elephant, two more urgent cries rang out.

An off-road vehicle was parked on the grassland. In front of it stood a huge elephant, anxiously stomping its feet and using its trunk to push against the car repeatedly.

It was clear the driver inside was hesitant to confront the elephant. Ramming it was out of the question—this big guy could easily shove the car. Qi Wenjue was beginning to wonder if, even with the gas pedal floored, they might just get pushed backward.

But just standing off like this wasn’t a solution either. Elephants were generally mild-tempered animals, but this one clearly wasn’t in the mood for peace.

The driver had been working with the director since the rainforest shoot, so Qi Wenjue had some experience dealing with these kinds of situations.

So instead of sitting tight, Qi Wenjue tried reversing. When the elephant stepped forward, he sharply turned the wheel to swerve around in a big circle—but still ended up blocked by the elephant.Lin Qianyu rode the zebra closer, but Chasing Wind hesitated at the sight of the agitated elephant so near. He stepped forward but quickly retracted his hoof, trying to circle from the side. However, after one look from the elephant, he backed up a few steps again.

She sensed something was off with the elephant and frowned. “What’s going on?”

At that moment, the people in the car spotted Lin Qianyu.

Su Yuxing immediately lowered the window and said, “Stay back! The elephant’s gone mad. Get out of here!”

He knew Lin Qianyu could communicate with animals, but a frenzied, angry animal obviously wouldn’t be calm enough to hold a conversation.

Su Yuxing was worried she’d get accidentally hurt by the elephant. After all, with a single swing of its trunk, the elephant could easily inflict serious injury.

The elephant, stomping anxiously, noticed the open window and immediately moved toward it.

Seeing its trunk about to reach into the window, Su Yuxing hurried to roll it up.

Immediately, the elephant’s cries grew louder.

The zebra didn’t dare approach and backed away repeatedly, frightened by the sound.

Lin Qianyu simply jumped off and walked forward a few steps. “Hey there, big guy.”

【Wait—Lin-jie what are you doing!】

【Help… that’s an elephant! A completely unfamiliar elephant you’re seeing for the first time, and you’re just walking up like that?!】

【Lin-jie, I know you mean well, but please don’t go near it yet. My heart can’t take this.】

The elephant’s cries transmitted through the livestream and sounded intensely intimidating to the viewers. Compared to it, a human barely came up to its leg.

Who wouldn’t be scared—especially when it was a raging elephant?

Tigers might seem more terrifying, but since the audience had grown used to Lin Qianyu being close with big cats—cuddling and hugging them—they’d already become numb to it, maybe even jealous enough to want a pat themselves.

But this—this was a clearly angry, unfamiliar elephant.

Many casual viewers held their breath.

It was as if even exhaling might trigger the elephant to whip around and hit Lin Qianyu with its trunk.

Su Yuxing shouted from inside the car, “Protect yourself first! I’ve already called the rescue center!”

Worried the car’s soundproofing was too good for her to hear, he even cracked the window open again.

The elephant, hearing his voice, didn’t react at all. It seemed to think it was a fellow elephant calling and ignored it, continuing to shove the vehicle, seemingly trying to get the person inside to come out.

The off-road vehicle rocked side to side, and Su Yuxing, though buckled in, swayed dizzyingly with it.

It was making him feel queasy.

Lin Qianyu stood at a safe distance from the elephant. She waved. “Did something happen? Do you need help?”

The elephant looked around, a hint of confusion in its dark eyes.

Maybe it was wondering why it could hear a companion speaking but couldn’t see one nearby.

The elephant was simply too tall—unless it lowered its head, it wouldn’t even notice the source of the voice.

Lin Qianyu raised both arms high and jumped a bit. “Here! I’m the one talking!”The overly active person finally caught the elephant’s attention. Its trunk, which had been wrapped around the off-road vehicle’s frame, paused, then slowly let go. The massive body turned, and it lowered its head slightly.

Lin Qianyu smiled gently and softened her voice as much as possible, soothingly saying, “Calm down first, okay? If there’s a problem, you can tell me—I’ll help you sort it out, alright?”

“Mm…” The elephant responded with a sound that lifted slightly at the end, crisp and ethereal. It raised its trunk, seemingly trying to grab Lin Qianyu.

But when it lowered the trunk, it hovered around her for a while, unable to find anything it could hold onto.

Frustrated, the elephant began stomping again.

Its cries were a bit muddled, and it wasn’t expressing itself very clearly.

Lin Qianyu tried her best to make sense of it. “You want me to help… an elephant?”

The elephant lifted its head and turned toward the forest, taking a few steps and glancing back at Lin Qianyu.

“You want me to follow you?” Lin Qianyu looked over at the zebra, who was pretending to eat grass but was actually trembling with fear. She then turned and opened the back seat of the SUV. “Director, give me a ride?”

…

The elephant led the way in front, while the off-road vehicle followed at a steady pace behind.

The SUV moved slowly, maintaining a speed that wouldn’t damage the land.

If the gas pedal were floored and the tires tore up even a few patches of grass, the production team wouldn’t earn enough from one episode to cover the restoration costs.

Su Yuxing had broken out in a cold sweat from the elephant’s earlier approach and still hadn’t fully recovered.

Anyone would be scared if a wild elephant blocked their path while driving on the grasslands.

If it wanted to, an elephant could wrap its trunk around a car and lift it.

Just like shaking a bucket of chips violently—everything inside would turn to crumbs. After a move like that, even if the person survived, it wouldn’t be pleasant.

But Su Yuxing had seen his share of chaos. After a few deep breaths, he turned and asked, “What did the elephant say to you just now?”

“It wants your help. I think one of its companions is in danger.” After a pause, Lin Qianyu added, “I remember the rescue station’s vehicles looked a lot like yours. Maybe it got the wrong person.”

Elephants are intelligent creatures, and since rescue teams often roam the grasslands tending to injured animals, it might’ve seen one of those cars before.

So when it ran into trouble today, it went looking for someone driving a similar vehicle.

It just didn’t expect to block the wrong one—the director’s car, heading out to snatch treasure boxes.

Su Yuxing sighed. “When it blocked me earlier, I thought you sent it. To stop me from getting to the treasure chest before you.”

Lin Qianyu: “...?”

【Slander! That’s absolute slander. If Lin-jie gave the order, it’d be a wolf pack blocking your way.】

【The director’s so traumatized from being robbed, he’s starting to see conspiracies.】

【I’ve read a bunch of news stories about animals stopping humans to ask for help. In those cases, the animals were literally betting their lives on the kindness of others.】

Lin Qianyu let out a light sigh, feeling the need to defend herself. “I’m not an unreasonable person—how could I do something like that? That’d be no different from outright robbery.”

Su Yuxing sneered.

“You think I believe that?”Su Yuxing: “Heh, of course I—”

“I think your off-road vehicle is pretty nice.”

Su Yuxing’s properly enunciated, forceful tone came to an abrupt halt. When he spoke again, he completely changed course: “...Actually, no.”

Lin Qianyu nodded. “Thought so.”

Su Yuxing: “…”

I’ll remain silent until my lawyer arrives.

While they talked, Lin Qianyu kept her head turned, eyes fixed on the elephant outside the window.

Even with the sound of the SUV’s engine, the elephant kept turning back to look at them, seemingly worried the car might leave. Each time it turned, Lin Qianyu waved her hand out the window to reassure it.

The vehicle kept moving inward, and the moment it stopped, Lin Qianyu opened the door.

The elephant stood at the edge of a deep pit, anxiously calling out in elephant frequencies to calm the companion inside.

Lin Qianyu had assumed it was another adult elephant, but when she got closer, she realized, “It’s a baby elephant.”

It looked like a natural pit.

Judging by the fallen tree nearby, it was likely that the tree had once spanned across the pit. Over time, fallen leaves had covered it, and the baby elephant had stepped on the tree, breaking it and falling in.

“Don’t worry,” Lin Qianyu comforted the adult elephant while thinking of a solution. Inside the pit were chewed-up wild fruits, likely dropped by the elephant to feed the calf so it wouldn’t starve.

The fruits were still fresh and hadn’t shriveled, meaning the baby elephant hadn’t been down there long.

In this situation, the best method would be to use a crane to lift the calf out.

However…

Lin Qianyu looked around. The terrain didn’t seem suitable for bringing in a crane.

Thinking for a moment, she turned and asked, “Director, do you have a rope in the car?”

“Yes.” Su Yuxing, who was standing next to her, turned and ran back to the car. “This kind of rope okay? It’s the type used for towing when a car breaks down.”

“That’ll work.” Lin Qianyu gave it a tug—felt solid and strong.

As Su Yuxing handed her the rope, he asked in confusion, “You’re planning to just pull the elephant up?”

“This pit’s pretty deep. We can’t just pull it straight up—we’ll dig first.” Lin Qianyu pointed. “If we dig a slope on this side, then we can help pull it up from there.”

“Just the few of us? We can pull an elephant up?” Su Yuxing was stunned. Trying to pull an elephant out of a pit by hand—was that even possible?

“It’ll work. The mother elephant will help too.” Lin Qianyu flexed her wrist. “Let’s dig first.”

Su Yuxing nodded. Whether or not they could pull it up, they had to try.

Qi Wenjue pulled tools from the trunk—military shovels and various iron implements. Lin Qianyu picked one that felt right in her hand and started digging at the spot she’d just marked.

They didn’t need to dig to the bottom—just make a slope. As they loosened the soil, some of it would fall down and raise the floor level.

The elephant watched. Though it didn’t fully understand what the humans were doing, it was clear enough that they were trying to save its calf.

So even if it didn’t get it, the elephant stretched out its trunk, trying to help.Lin Qianyu raised her hand and patted gently in a soothing gesture. “Go talk to the baby elephant, comfort it a bit. Leave the rest to us.”

The elephant opened its mouth and called out silently, then seemed to realize Lin Qianyu couldn’t hear it, so it let out a vocal call instead.

In the pit, the baby elephant’s eyes showed obvious nervousness. Only when its mother came close and it wrapped its trunk around hers did it calm down, clinging tightly like it had found a safe harbor.

The digging picked up speed, and soon a mound of dirt had formed at the bottom edge of the pit.

But this kind of soil was too loose—step on it, and it would flatten immediately, not very helpful.

A slope gradually took shape above. Lin Qianyu estimated it visually, then jumped down from the edge.

The elephant standing above panicked, immediately wrapping its trunk around her waist and lifting her up again, thinking the human had fallen by accident.

Being pulled back mid-jump and suddenly landing firmly on the ground again stunned even Lin Qianyu for a moment. She turned and locked eyes with the elephant.

She blinked and lightly patted the trunk around her waist. “I didn’t fall. I just wanted to shape the slope from below—don’t worry.”

The elephant looked at her and slowly loosened its trunk.

Lin Qianyu adjusted her clothes and jumped down again.

【Ughhh... that elephant is so sweet! Thought Lin Lin had fallen and rushed to catch her.】

【Sigh, seeing everyone working so hard digging this pit just to save the baby elephant… I don’t know why, I suddenly feel so moved.】

【What? Just now? A sensitive soul like me has been crying this whole time.】

【Damn, do your family members know how sensitive you are?】

The baby elephant was timid but seemed to understand that they were trying to save it. Its damp, watery eyes looked at Lin Qianyu with pitiful hope.

She patted its head. “Good, it’s okay.”

Then she took out the berries she had picked earlier. The branches of these berries had thorns, and elephants couldn’t selectively pick thumb-sized fruits from such branches. So this kind of sweet-and-sour berry was probably unfamiliar to the calf.

Lin Qianyu had wrapped them in leaves. She handed the whole bundle to the baby elephant. “Here, eat some of this. We’ll get you out soon.”

The baby elephant tilted its head, its large ears fluttering slightly. It hesitated for a moment at the unfamiliar berries, then used its trunk to curl one into its mouth.

Delicious.

Even to the baby elephant’s taste, it was good.

Its eyes lit up. It grabbed a bunch more berries and lifted them toward the elephant outside the pit.

The adult elephant lowered its head and nuzzled it with its trunk, but didn’t accept the berries.

...

With Lin Qianyu shaping the slope from below, the director and Qi Wenjue worked even faster from above.

The dirt that fell down was stomped firm by Lin Qianyu.

When it looked about done, she tossed the shovel up first, then just as she lifted her foot to climb the slope—was once again lifted by her waist by the elephant’s trunk.

“Okay, okay! Let’s start pulling the baby elephant out.”

Lin Qianyu stretched her arms and twisted her waist, mostly to warm up—she’d need strength to pull the elephant up soon.Just now, she had been bending over while digging, so now that she stood up straight, her back was sore and stiff. If she didn’t move around a bit, she wouldn’t be able to exert any strength in a moment.

Putting down the rope, Lin Qianyu said, “Come here, little one. Grab this.”

Elephants use their trunks to hold things.

The baby elephant slightly raised its head and curled its trunk around the rope, gripping it tightly. “Pwoh, pwoh...”

“Alright then.” Lin Qianyu gave the rope a tug—it was a bit short. She turned to the director and said, “I’ll pull together with the elephant, okay? The rope’s not long enough for more people.”

Su Yuxing looked at her pale-as-paper face. “Are you sure? Want me to do it instead? I think I’ve got more strength than you.”

Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that?”

Su Yuxing thought of the time she chopped down a tree with two swings and fell silent for a moment. “Th-then… if you get tired, I’ll take over.”

Lin Qianyu nodded. “Alright.”

She handed the other end to the elephant. “When I say ‘pull,’ we’ll all pull together. Baby elephant, you climb up at the same time, okay?”

“Yoo—!”

“Pwoh!”

The elephant and baby elephant responded in unison.

Lin Qianyu cleared her throat. “Let’s start! Pull!”

With the adult elephant helping, and the baby elephant lifting its legs to step onto the slope, Lin Qianyu controlled the angle while slowly walking backward. “Good, very good. Now you can bring your hind legs up.”

The baby elephant didn’t fully understand what it was supposed to do at each moment, but with Lin Qianyu watching closely and giving prompts, it was able to respond in time.

Lin Qianyu and the adult elephant pulled in sync, gradually dragging the baby elephant out of the pit.

“Pwohh—!” With its feet on solid ground, the baby elephant stomped excitedly.

Lin Qianyu let go of the rope and rolled it up. “Be careful when you walk next time, okay?”

Since the baby elephant was able to climb up on its own, it probably wasn’t seriously injured—just some scrapes, which weren’t a big deal for an elephant.

“Huh?” Lin Qianyu found herself lifted off the ground, belatedly hearing the elephant’s celebratory trumpet.

The adult elephant raised Lin Qianyu high into the air. “Mwoooh!”

The baby elephant looked on eagerly, its trunk lifted as well—but there was nothing in it.

Suddenly, it turned its head and shifted its gaze to the two people not far away.

Su Yuxing’s relieved smile froze instantly—he understood that look immediately. “W-wait a minute?!”

Qi Wenjue saw the director’s reaction and also stepped back half a pace. “Huh? What?”

The baby elephant’s gaze was firm. It strode forward. “Ah!”

I’m gonna lift two of you!

Author’s Note: It's the start of the month—please feed me nutrient solution~!

More updates coming during the day (no set time—I'll post as soon as I finish writing, probably in the afternoon, pwopwo~)

Good night, sleep early, love you all 💕