The forest was quiet. Two bears lay close together, panting heavily with their chests rising and falling.

So tired!

Ye Yunian took a deep breath, preparing to roll over for a bit more rest, when his nose caught a sweet scent.

Honey!

Ye Yunian shot up immediately, too excited to care about his exhaustion. He shuffled closer to Apple Bear.

Apple Bear glanced at Ye Yunian and let go of the honeycomb it had in its mouth, handing it over.

Having held the honeycomb for so long, much of the honey had already dripped out, covering Apple Bear’s mouth and even soaking into the thick fur around its chest.

Licking its lips, Apple Bear savored the sweet taste before sitting up and starting to lick the honey off its fur.

Ye Yunian quickly tore the honeycomb in half, handing one piece back to Apple Bear before eagerly digging into his own honey.

The sweetness melted in his mouth, and Ye Yunian’s eyes squinted with pleasure.

So delicious!

How could there be something as good as honey in this world?

The last time he had tasted honey was back at the base.

As Ye Yunian happily ate, he glanced over at Apple Bear.

After cleaning off the honey from its fur, Apple Bear began eating the portion Ye Yunian had shared. It seemed to enjoy the taste as well, munching happily on the honeycomb.

But Ye Yunian noticed something odd—was Apple Bear’s face a little swollen?

He blinked, trying to open his eyes wider… Wait, why couldn’t he open one of his eyes?

Ye Yunian paused mid-lick.

Oh no, it seemed he’d been stung!

“Whimper…” Ye Yunian let out a soft cry.

Apple Bear looked over, and then its own licking stopped.

Ye Yunian, usually a cute and handsome little bear—something both humans and Apple Bear agreed on—had big round eyes and a slightly upturned mouth that made him look adorably innocent.

But now, his beautiful big eye was swollen shut, almost disappearing beneath the puffiness.

So, it wasn’t the honey that had made Ye Yunian squint earlier—it was the swelling!

Ye Yunian groaned softly, while Apple Bear’s face, also noticeably uneven, confirmed that neither of them had escaped the bees’ wrath.

Apple Bear set down the honeycomb and leaned over, gently licking Ye Yunian’s swollen eye.

It stung a little, but the cool sensation was soothing.

The swelling didn’t feel great, but at least it wasn’t painful beyond the puffiness.

Apple Bear continued to comfort Ye Yunian.

But that didn’t stop Ye Yunian from taking the opportunity to whine a little. He buried his head into Apple Bear’s fluffy chest, whimpering non-stop.

Even though Apple Bear’s face was still swollen, the minor sting didn’t bother him much. After all, in his experience, a bee sting like this would heal in a day or two, so he didn’t pay it much attention.

While Apple Bear didn’t care about his own wound, he was worried about the little bear in his arms. He gently groomed Ye Yunian, trying to comfort him.

He even stopped eating his honey and offered it to Ye Yunian.

Ye Yunian shook his head, declining Apple Bear’s offer. He was already full—this half of the honeycomb was for Apple Bear.

After some playful back-and-forth, Ye Yunian finally got up and wandered off, leaving Apple Bear convinced that he wasn’t interested in the honey after all.

But that raised another question.

If Ye Yunian wasn’t after the honey, why had he come to complain in the first place?

Even though Apple Bear was a clever panda, he couldn’t quite figure out the meaning behind Ye Yunian’s actions.

But in the end, as long as the little bear was fine, that was all that mattered.

In the summer forest, mosquitoes were plentiful, and the sweet honey Apple Bear was holding had already attracted quite a few of them.

If he didn’t finish the honey quickly, there would only be more insects buzzing around.

Without further hesitation, Apple Bear gobbled up the rest of his honey.

Seeing that Apple Bear had finished, Ye Yunian waddled back over.

The two pandas then started cleaning each other’s fur.

Well, Apple Bear did most of the cleaning, as Ye Yunian merely licked his paws a few times before lying down and letting Apple Bear take over.

Ever since Apple Bear had once licked even his paw pads clean, Ye Yunian had lost much of his shame. If Apple Bear was willing to clean him, he’d happily oblige.

After finishing with Ye Yunian’s fur, Apple Bear finally began grooming himself.

Once Apple Bear was done, he noticed that Ye Yunian had already fallen fast asleep on the ground.

But this wasn’t exactly a good spot for a nap.

Apple Bear stood up and nudged Ye Yunian.

Ye Yunian, with one swollen eye still closed, groggily blinked awake.

Seeing that Ye Yunian was up, Apple Bear led the way.

Although still drowsy, Ye Yunian trusted Apple Bear’s judgment implicitly. Yawning, he wobbled to his feet and followed Apple Bear.

After walking for quite a while, Ye Yunian finally started to wake up a bit more.

Now alert, he began to take in his surroundings and realized something strange.

The forest they had been in earlier was dense, with thick undergrowth and soft ground covered in layers of fallen leaves.

But here, the terrain was rocky and uncomfortable, with patches of wet ground.

Wait—water?

Ye Yunan raised his head and sniffed the air, his ears twitching. The air felt damp, filled with moisture, and more importantly, he could hear the sound of flowing water.

Excited, Ye Yunian glanced over at Apple Bear.

Apple Bear showed no signs of surprise, clearly having noticed the water long ago.

Overjoyed, Ye Yunian nudged Apple Bear with his head, expressing his gratitude.

Apple Bear truly was reliable!

They hadn’t reached the water source yet, so Ye Yunian followed Apple Bear further along the path.

The sound of the water grew clearer the further they went.

Finally, after pushing through a thicket, the two pandas arrived at a waterfall about two meters high.

Though not tall, the waterfall had a strong flow, feeding into a pool of water nearly ten meters wide at its base.

Ye Yunian’s eyes lit up at the sight.

He had been thirsty for a while, so he immediately dashed forward and jumped into the pool.

Apple Bear followed him into the water.

The cool mountain water soaked through their thick fur, washing away the heat and discomfort they’d been feeling.

The pool wasn’t too deep, with the deepest part being only about a meter.

Ye Yunian sat down in the water, moving to a slightly deeper spot, leaving just his head above the surface.

So refreshing!

He hadn’t felt this cool in ages.

After a moment, Ye Yunian decided to submerge his head as well.

When Apple Bear turned around, Ye Yunian had disappeared.

Worried, Apple Bear quickly made his way over to where Ye Yunian had been.

Just then, Ye Yunian burst out of the water, splashing Apple Bear in the face before pouncing on him playfully.

Caught off guard, Apple Bear was knocked over.

Water sprayed everywhere as the two pandas played.

Afterward, Ye Yunian stood up and shook the water from his fur.

Apple Bear, seeing Ye Yunian with only one bright, shiny eye visible, seemed to realize something and suddenly smacked the surface of the water with his paw.

Just as Ye Yunian had finished shaking himself dry, Apple Bear’s move splashed him all over again.

Stunned for a moment, Ye Yunian then launched a playful attack on Apple Bear, biting his arm and shaking his head while making small growling noises.

Apple Bear didn’t push him away and joined in the water play.

The roughhousing continued until hunger pangs interrupted their fun, prompting the two pandas to leave the pool and head toward a nearby bamboo grove.

The bamboo there was especially lush, likely due to the ample water supply.

To Ye Yunian’s delight, there were also tender bamboo shoots in the grove!

The temperature had been rising, causing bamboo in lower elevations to grow rapidly. Many of the shoots had already grown several meters tall and tough, far less tasty than the smaller, tender shoots.

But this grove was full of short, tender bamboo shoots that looked incredibly appetizing!

Eyes gleaming, Ye Yunian made a beeline for one of the shoots.

Apple Bear, less picky, broke off the nearest shoot and began munching away.

Both pandas ate their fill, with Ye Yunian especially satisfied.

Looking over at Apple Bear, he saw a pile of bamboo skins scattered around him as well.

It seemed they had found the perfect new home.

Ye Yunian slowly got up and rubbed his head against Apple Bear.

Full and sleepy!

Apple Bear, now also satisfied, led Ye Yunian away from the bamboo grove and up the side of the waterfall.

The slope was steeper here, with more exposed rocks.

Apple Bear found a large rock, guiding Ye Yunian to its base.

With the rock providing shelter and the surrounding shrubs creating a cozy, semi-open cave, it seemed like the perfect spot to rest.

Ye Yunian, too tired to think, collapsed under the rock and fell into a deep sleep, trusting Apple Bear completely.