Without caring that the interview wasn’t finished, the caretaker immediately jumped up and rushed outside with his colleague. The female reporter hesitated only for a second before grabbing her cameraman and chasing after them.

This was huge news—something she absolutely couldn’t miss!

Meanwhile, the live-stream chat was flooded with question marks:

• “???”
• “Did they just say Ye Yunian is back? Did I hear that right?”
• “Wasn’t Ye Yunian just released into the wild yesterday?”
• “How did he come back?!”

No one had ever heard of a panda being released into the wild only to return!

Netizens were completely baffled, some even suspecting that they might have confused Ye Yunian with another panda.

---

In the Wolong Nature Reserve, the mornings in March weren’t too bright. Wei Chengyang, the staff responsible for sourcing bamboo for the pandas, would wake up at 7 AM sharp every day to transport the bamboo needed by the base.

Moving the bamboo was a physically demanding task. Since the pandas consumed large quantities of bamboo daily, Wei Chengyang and his team had to make at least three to four trips back and forth to meet the day’s demands.

Although Ye Nian had been released into the wild yesterday, there were still many other pandas at the base. So today’s bamboo delivery was just as strenuous as usual.

After loading the last batch of bamboo, they headed back to the base, which took them close to 10 AM. Given that journalists were visiting the base for interviews at that time, Wei Chengyang and his colleague avoided the main gate and opted to enter through the north gate instead.

The base was quite large, and the gates were far apart, especially the north gate, which was the most isolated and led into the mountains. It was rarely used, and there was no guard on duty most of the time.

It took them nearly ten minutes to reach the north gate in their small truck. Wei Chengyang was about to call a colleague at the base to have the gate opened when he suddenly heard the screech of brakes.

Thrown forward by the sudden stop, Wei Chengyang was saved from hitting the windshield by his seatbelt. Frowning, he turned to his colleague, ready to ask why he had stopped so abruptly, when the other man spoke up, sounding excited: “Panda!”

Wei Chengyang blinked. “Panda?”

He looked up toward the gate, and sure enough, there stood a panda on its hind legs. One paw clutched the bars of the iron gate, while the other knocked rhythmically on the gate.

“Bang! Bang! Bang—”

Even from tens of meters away, they could clearly hear the sound of the panda knocking.

Rubbing his eyes in disbelief, Wei Chengyang wondered if he was still half-asleep. “Did one of the base’s pandas accidentally escape?”

“How is that possible?” his colleague replied, still staring ahead. Then he added, “Wait, doesn’t this panda look kind of familiar?”

Seeing pandas in the Wolong Reserve wasn’t rare, so Wei Chengyang quickly calmed down. He squinted, his eyes widening in shock a second later. “Isn’t that Ye Yunian?!”

At the same moment, Ye Yunian noticed the truck and immediately stopped knocking on the gate. Excited, he began running toward the vehicle.

Are you kidding? Ye Yunian had been standing outside in the cold, knocking on the gate for two hours. Now that he finally saw someone, how could he not be thrilled?

After being released yesterday, Ye Yunian hadn’t ventured too far into the bamboo forest. He had picked a spot that wasn’t too far away but still hidden from the staff. As soon as they left, he turned around and started heading back to the base.

A panda running at full speed can reach up to 40 kilometers per hour, so it wasn’t too hard for Ye Nian to follow the three cars that had transported him. However, running at top speed is something pandas only do when they’re in danger.

Since Ye Yunian hadn’t encountered any threats—and had spent the last few months living in comfort at the base without much exercise—he quickly grew tired, panting heavily as hunger gnawed at his stomach.

Knowing he had already memorized the way back, Ye Yunian decided he could take his time. Why rush?

With that, he stopped running, flopped onto the ground, and began contemplating where to find some food.

The area where Ye Yunian had been released was rich in bamboo, with large patches even along the roadside. This was the first time Ye Nian had ever had to feed himself in the wild.

It turns out, being a member of the bear family comes with great jaw strength. A bamboo stalk as thick as an adult’s arm took only one bite for Ye Yunian to snap in half.

Looking down at the broken bamboo, Ye Yunian felt a surge of pride.

He was amazing!

Biting through bamboo was as easy as cracking sunflower seeds!

After admiring himself for a bit, he finally settled down to eat.

After filling up on bamboo and taking a nap, Ye Yunian woke up in the afternoon. Fearing he might run out of energy for the journey ahead, he ate some more bamboo. Amused by the satisfying sound of snapping bamboo, he even broke a few stalks for fun.

It wasn’t until dusk that Ye Yunian resumed his journey.

With his excellent sense of smell and night vision, Ye Yunian found his way back to the base with ease. Half of the night was spent traveling seriously, and the other half was spent sleeping in a tree.

By the time dawn broke, Ye Yunian casually made his way back to the north gate—right before the base’s breakfast time.

The problem? Although Ye Yunian knew the way back to the base, he didn’t know that there were multiple gates. Unfortunately, he had chosen the most isolated one with the fewest staff members!

What bad luck.

By 6:30 AM, Ye Yunian had arrived at the north gate, and there he waited—hours passed, but no one came.

It wasn’t as if Ye Yunian hadn’t thought about climbing over the gate, but there were iron bars, and the walls even had a high-voltage fence on top! Climbing over wasn’t an option—it could be deadly.

With no other choice, Ye Yunian sat by the gate, periodically standing to knock, hoping to catch someone’s attention.

Maybe it was because this gate was too far from where the staff were stationed, but no one heard him.

Now, finally spotting a familiar base vehicle, Ye Yunian could hardly contain his excitement. After a whole night of walking and hours of waiting, he was starving. Spotting the truck filled with bamboo, he sped up even more.

But this sudden burst of speed frightened Wei Chengyang and his colleague.

Pandas may look cute, but they’re still bears—not cats.

At two years old, Ye Yunian wasn’t fully grown, but he was already 1.2 meters tall and weighed over 100 kilograms. Even knowing Ye Yunian’s gentle temperament, neither of them was willing to take the risk!

His colleague immediately tried to turn the truck around, but the road near the north gate was too narrow. The truck was too large to make a quick turn, and reversing would only agitate Ye Yunian, who was now barreling toward them.

“Lock the windows first! Ye Yunian shouldn’t attack us…” Wei Chengyang instructed his colleague while hurriedly dialing for backup.

To their relief, Ye Yunian ran right past the front of the truck without stopping.

They both heard a “thump” and felt the truck lurch slightly. Glancing back through the bamboo, they locked eyes with Ye Nian’s innocent gaze.

Both men and the panda stared at each other for a brief moment before Ye Yunian plopped himself into the pile of bamboo, grabbing the nearest tender shoot with one paw and happily munching away.

Wei Chengyang and his colleague: “…”

“Looks like he’s hungry,” Wei Chengyang couldn’t help but laugh.

His colleague chuckled, “Do you think he didn’t eat anything after being released?”

Wei Chengyang shook his head—he didn’t know either.

At that moment, the caretakers and the reporter finally arrived on the scene, just in time to witness the sight:

Ye Yunian was half-reclining in the pile of bamboo, one leg casually draped over the other, one paw holding a fresh bamboo shoot, and the other bringing bamboo leaves to his mouth.

He was so content that his eyes had half-closed in delight.

Sensing familiar scents, Ye Yunian slowly sat up and glanced at the caretakers, grinning triumphantly as if to say, Hehe, I’m back!

The caretakers and staff: “Not ‘hehe’! Why did you come back?!”

The reporter and cameraman, who were standing farthest away, kept their camera rolling, capturing the entire scene for the live broadcast. The viewers in the chat were utterly stunned.

“…Uh, what…”

“It’s confirmed. It really is Ye Yunian!”

“Wait, didn’t they just release him into the wild yesterday?”

“Hahaha, oh my gosh, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a panda come back the day after being released!”

“So how on earth did Ye Yunian manage to return?”

Not only were the viewers dying to know, but everyone at the base also had the same question: How did you manage to come back, you little rascal?!

Before the online discussion could go any further, the live stream was abruptly cut off. However, the conversation among netizens didn’t stop. Within minutes, footage of Ye Yunian’s return went viral, sparking an internet sensation.

Curious onlookers who were not familiar with the situation clicked on the trending post:

“Is Ye Yunian a panda? I thought he was some kind of celebrity or artist.”

Those with a bit more context replied:

“If I’m not mistaken, I just saw on yesterday’s news that YeYunian had been released into the wild?”

And dedicated panda fans chimed in:

“Ahhh! Yes, he was released! But Ye Yunian came back to the base today!”

“I was so sad yesterday, telling my friends that I might never see Ye Yunian again, and now here we are, reunited the next day…”

“Ye Nian is so clever! He knows the base is a safe, cushy place, so he’s decided to stay, hasn’t he?”

“Hahaha!”

Within a matter of hours, the hashtag #YunianIsBack shot to the top of Weibo’s trending list, even drawing the attention of international media outlets eager to cover the story. Ye Yunian had officially become a worldwide sensation.

Fans flooded the base’s official social media accounts, leaving comments like, “You have to keep Ye Yunian! He’s so smart and adorable, it’d be a shame to release him again!”

Others debated the matter:

“But let’s not forget, Ye Yunian is a wild panda. Isn’t the wild his true home?”

This opinion didn’t sit well with some fans:

“Come on, the base won’t be that heartless, right?”

“Please, it’s not like we can’t afford to take care of Ye Yunian!”

“Exactly!”

While discussions on the internet raged on, Ye Yunian had already returned to his familiar enclosure.

Seeing the same cozy surroundings, Ye Yunian finally felt at ease.

Yet, even as he relaxed, there was a lingering bit of concern—would the base try to release him into the wild again?

No way, right?

He had gone through all the trouble of coming back on his own. Surely, by now, the staff understood that he had no intention of leaving!

Over the next three days, Ye Yunian lived comfortably in the enclosure. Apart from overhearing some sighs from the caretakers on the first day, nothing unusual happened. His daily bamboo portions were the same, and there was no sign of an extra “farewell feast”—much to his relief.

By the fourth day, Ye Yunian was feeling confident. It was a bright, sunny day, and after spending so much time lounging around, he figured it was time to stretch his legs and show the staff just how determined he was to stay.

After his morning meal, Ye Yunian lazily ambled toward the outdoor area of the enclosure, ready to make his case.

However, just as he reached the gate, he felt a sudden prick in his leg. It didn’t hurt, but the sensation was strange.

Looking down at his leg, Ye Yunian’s round eyes widened in shock.

There, stuck in his leg, was a syringe.

Was this… a tranquilizer?

Oh no!

Ye Yunian’s heart raced as he tried to turn around, but his eyelids were already growing heavy.

The next moment, everything went black as YeYunian slipped into unconsciousness.