Chapter 5: Acting Cute Success!

At noon, the sun was blazing high in the sky, but inside the forest, there wasn’t a hint of stifling heat. Instead, it was refreshingly cool, which was undoubtedly a good thing for Ji Wuxiu, who was wrapped in thick fur.

But…

He stared with his small eyes, looking troubled. His rear wiggled slightly in unease, and his paws tested the air beneath him. Startled, he hugged the tree trunk tighter and swallowed hard. “System… I think I’ve really messed up this time.”

The system offered a completely half-hearted reassurance: 【Host, you’re only half a meter above the ground. Just take a deep breath and jump down.】

Ji Wuxiu was silent for three seconds, then cautiously glanced downward. The sensation of weightlessness rushed over him, making him immediately clutch the tree trunk again. His heart pounded with nerves, yet on the surface, he still wore that same deadpan, stupidly cute expression.

Only his trembling paws betrayed his anxiety.

【Be strong, Host! You’re not the same as before!】

Ji Wuxiu felt like crying. He should’ve known—climbing up was easy, but getting down was the real challenge.

And now, he was stuck, caught awkwardly on the tree branch. The sun had been shining on him for so long that his fur had started to feel warm and fluffy, making him look even more like an actual furball.

But he hadn’t eaten in an entire day and night, and his stomach had been growling nonstop.

Taking a deep breath, Ji Wuxiu braced himself mentally. Finally, he carefully slid down the tree, clinging tightly to the trunk with his claws, which thankfully gave him enough support to prevent him from falling.

After much effort, he finally landed safely on the ground. His racing heart slowly calmed down. Standing on all fours, he looked around, still unsteady in his movements, before trudging off in search of food to fill his empty belly.

After a while, Ji Wuxiu sat on the grass, tilting his head up at the red fruits hanging from a tree. His now incredibly sensitive panda nose twitched, catching their scent.

They smelled a lot like apples—though they didn’t quite look the same.

At the very least, these fruits were massive, easily twice the size of the apples he had seen on Earth.

I want to eat them…

Ji Wuxiu swallowed hard, his panda eyes full of longing.

But the tree was way too tall, and he absolutely did not want to go through the trauma of climbing again.

Just thinking about it made him hunch his round body in dejection, sighing over and over again.

Suddenly, a faint rustling noise came from not far away.

Ji Wuxiu’s fur instantly bristled. He scrambled to his feet, staring warily into the depths of the grass, his eyes filled with caution.

A sleek, black tail, completely devoid of even a single strand of white fur, suddenly lifted and swayed back and forth, showing its owner’s good mood.

Ji Wuxiu froze. For some reason, that tail looked oddly familiar.

Then, the grass rustled again, revealing a black-furred rear, followed by the rest of a sleek, powerful body—one that moved with effortless grace. Cold, and sharp eyes locked onto him.

A moment of silence fell between them.

The black-and-white creature stared lifelessly at the cold-faced black panther for three full seconds.

For some reason, Ji Wuxiu immediately relaxed, and his expression grew even more dejected.

Because the panther was holding a wild boar in its mouth—one nearly the size of a calf. The fresh blood staining it made it clear that this was a freshly killed hunt.

Ji Wuxiu’s eyes couldn’t help but drift downward, and he let out a sorrowful sigh.

The panther’s fur instantly stood on end, its ears folding back like airplane wings. With its excellent memory, it immediately recalled yesterday’s traumatizing experience and quickly took a few steps back, letting out a low growl.

It was clearly meant to be intimidating, but somehow, there was a hint of fear and guilt mixed in.

It looked just like a blustering furball that seemed fierce at first glance but would instantly back down if poked.

Ji Wuxiu shifted his rear slightly to make way for the panther, not even bothering to spare it a glance. As always, his droopy eyes remained fixed on the wild boar, sighing in despair.

So hungry…

Hungry…

He did consider snatching the wild boar, but he had no idea how to deal with it, let alone start a fire and cook it. These were already difficult tasks for a human, let alone a panda.

At this moment, Ji Wuxiu felt that he desperately needed the system’s help.

“System, can’t you at least offer me some friendly assistance?”

The system’s voice remained as cold as ever: 【Host! Compared to other systems, my upgrade path starts at an extremely low level, and the difficulty is also the lowest. If you still need to rely on me for something this trivial, don’t you think that’s a bit shameless?】

Ji Wuxiu seriously reflected on the system’s words and eventually came to a conclusion—it was all nonsense.

“Then how do you explain what happened with those two animals before?”

The system instantly stalled: 【Ahem… Those were just accidents! Host, you must trust me!】

Ji Wuxiu remained silent in protest.

Perhaps realizing that its words weren’t entirely honest, the system softened its tone: 【Host! You can use your talent for cuteness to solve your food problem. This is absolutely the simplest, fastest, and most convenient way!】

Ji Wuxiu scoffed and refused to follow the system’s suggestion.

He was afraid that if he tried acting cute again, all the animals would just think he was ugly.

Wouldn’t that just be tragic?

The system immediately fell silent and pretended to go offline.

Left alone, Ji Wuxiu sat there for a long while before slowly getting up and preparing to look for food.

Fortunately, fate was not completely against him. He hadn’t walked far when he spotted a hedgehog-like creature in the distance. Its back was loaded with several fruits, seemingly transporting them to its den.

Ji Wuxiu’s face turned slightly red as he mentally prepared himself.

He was a panda now, and the law of the jungle was inherently cruel.

If he didn’t take the hedgehog’s fruit, some other animal would.

Sorry, but I have no choice.

Ji Wuxiu wobbled his belly, lightened his footsteps, and quietly sneaked forward.

However, for some reason, the hedgehog quickly noticed him. Startled, it immediately curled up into a tight, spiky ball.

Ji Wuxiu’s eyes lit up. He turned his feet inward and trotted over, making a noise that sounded like laughter.

Did this hedgehog really think its spikes could stop a mighty panda?

How naïve.

Glancing around, Ji Wuxiu quickly picked up a tree branch and used it to knock the fruits down, gathering them into his arms. Fortunately, his wide panda paws made it easy to hold onto the apples.

The hedgehog-like creature trembled slightly in anger, but it still didn’t dare poke its head out. It could only watch helplessly as this strange-looking creature took away the fruits it had worked so hard to collect.

Ji Wuxiu found a clean spot, leaned against a tree trunk, and started munching on the fruits. They were a bit sour, but they were big enough to be filling. After devouring several of them—along with some wild grass he had plucked on the side—he finally satisfied his hunger.

It wasn’t a great meal.

But Ji Wuxiu was already content.

Meanwhile, the black panther lay sprawled on a tree branch, deliberately shaking it a little.

Ji Wuxiu looked up, his perpetually lifeless face still carrying that same pitiful expression.

But in his heart, he really wanted to flip the black panther off.

Because he could clearly see an expression in the panther’s eyes—mockery.

The black panther smugly licked its blood-stained mouth, then, at an intentionally slow pace, patted the wild boar meat hanging from the tree branch and let out a proud roar.

Childish little black panther.

Ji Wuxiu quickly labeled it as such. Shifting his butt, he decided to ignore it—out of sight, out of mind.

The black panther, still staring at Ji Wuxiu’s back, became even more pleased with itself. Its long tail flicked at the tip, trembling slightly with excitement.

Ji Wuxiu lay on his side in the grass, his legs sprawled naturally, occasionally swinging them a little. Before he knew it, he started nodding off.

Trying to force his eyes open, Ji Wuxiu felt something was off.

“System, my body doesn’t feel right.”

It had only been three hours since he last woke up, so why was he sleepy again?

The system replied with a hint of disdain:

【Ding! Pandas spend most of their time sleeping. Only through sleep can they fully display their cuteness.】

Ji Wuxiu yawned expressionlessly, then slowly curled himself into a ball. His eyelids drooped, but he stubbornly refused to fall asleep.

The system said nothing more, only reminding him not to slack off in mastering his acting cute technique.

However, to Ji Wuxiu, who was currently fighting against drowsiness, the system’s nagging only made him even sleepier.

So sleepy…

Ji Wuxiu covered his mouth and yawned again, causing a few involuntary tears to well up and dampen the fur around his eyes. Even so, it was hard to tell whether the black-and-white creature had actually closed his eyes or not.

Perched lazily on the tree branch, the black panther squinted under the sunlight, its fur gleaming. Its tail flicked occasionally as it observed the prey not far away, baring its teeth in disdain.

—So ugly.