Ye Yunian decided not to waste his time catching small fry anymore; however, giving up on catching big fish was out of the question.

There were plenty of fish in this river, and the kind of big, fat fish that Ye Yunian favored were abundant.

To catch those big fish, he would have to venture into the deeper waters.

At first, Ye Yunian only tested the shallow waters.

Seeing that Apple Bear wasn’t dragging him back to the shore by the scruff of his neck anymore, Ye Yunian cautiously ventured a little deeper.

Apple Bear naturally noticed that Ye Yunian had moved into the deeper waters. The reason he didn’t intervene was that he had assessed this section of the river as safe.

Pandas, being migratory animals that change habitats with the seasons, occasionally need to cross rivers in search of food. Swimming, therefore, becomes an essential skill for them.

With the river’s slow current and moderate depth, this place was perfect for Ye Yunian to practice swimming.

More importantly, Apple Bear stayed close to Ye Yunian while he was in the water. If anything dangerous happened, Apple Bear could jump in to help immediately.

Having learned from his previous experience, Ye Yunian now was not reckless enough to venture into areas deeper than his height.

But that led to a problem—

In the water that wasn’t deeper than Ye Yunian’s height, only about a meter or so deep, there were no big, fat fish. Let alone ones carrying roe!

Ye Yunian tried catching fish several times, but they were all flat-bellied and skinny.

Of course, Ye Yunian didn’t waste any food; he and Apple Bear shared the fish.

But he really, really wanted to eat fish roe!

After catching yet another fish that turned out to have no roe, Ye Yunian couldn’t sit still anymore. He bleated in frustration as he went to the riverbank to find Apple Bear.

At that moment, Apple Bear was sitting by the river, half of his body submerged in the water.

In the hot weather, with their thick fur, soaking in water was the pandas’ favorite way to cool off.

Ye Yunian’s bleating was rhythmic, almost like a pleasant little tune.

Apple Bear glanced over at him.

Ye Yunian walked up to Apple Bear, stretched his head forward, and bit Apple Bear’s arm.

Apple Bear was confused but stood up, following Ye Yunian’s gentle tug.

Seeing that Ye Yunian was leading him toward the deeper water, Apple Bear understood what the little one wanted.

Fish carrying roe usually don’t move around during the predator-filled daytime. Night was when they ventured out.

However, it wasn’t impossible to catch them during the day.

Ye Yunian let go of Apple Bear’s arm.

Apple Bear stood still for a moment, surveying the surroundings. He then led Ye Yunian to an area near the riverbank, where the water was thick with vegetation.

Ye Yunian quickly trotted after him, his entire body shaking with excitement.

The two pandas stood by the riverbed in the dense vegetation, their movements clouding the water.

Both of them waited patiently until the water cleared again. Apple Bear glanced at Ye Yunian before lowering his head to carefully observe the water’s surface.

Seeing Apple Bear’s actions, Ye Yunian quickly imitated him, lowering his head to observe the water too.

Apple Bear rarely made a move, but when he did—bam! Big fish in his mouth, guaranteed.

In the blink of an eye, before Ye Yunian could even process what had happened, a fat, wriggling fish was already dangling from Apple Bear’s jaws.

Apple Bear held the fish out toward Ye Yunian.

Ye Yunian was shocked.

Wait, weren’t we just observing the water a second ago? How did he already catch one?

Watching Apple Bear hunt up close, Ye Yunian was even more impressed.

This is what it means to be strong!

Taking the fish from Apple Bear’s mouth, Ye Yunian took a big bite out of it.

Admiration filled his heart.

One day, he would become just as strong.

After finishing the fish, Ye Yunian continued to obediently follow Apple Bear.

After a few more attempts, Ye Yunian finally discovered the trick to identifying fish carrying roe.

So, the next time he spotted a fish swimming near his feet, Ye Yunian pounced without hesitation.

Even though he splashed much more than Apple Bear and took a bit longer, Ye Yunian succeeded.

He burst out of the water, shaking droplets off his face, and proudly offered the fish to Apple Bear, his eyes sparkling.

By now, Apple Bear understood Ye Yunian’s intentions very well.

Without hesitation, he accepted the fish Ye Yunian had caught.

Ye Yunian’s fur puffed up with pride.

Humming a strange but rhythmic tune, Ye Yunian enthusiastically prepared to catch more fish.

After finishing the fish Ye Yunian had caught, Apple Bear moved to the shore to soak in the water again.

In just a few days, Ye Yunian had fully mastered the art of catching fish.

Because he had been moving around in the deeper water so often, he had also perfected his swimming skills.

Of course, Ye Yunian had already known how to swim; it’s just that now he was even more at ease in the water.

Ye Yunian and Apple Bear stayed by the river for a whole month.

There were no large predators in the area, and their lives weren’t under any immediate threat. So, the two pandas lived comfortably here.

However, as the weather grew hotter, both Ye Yunian and Apple Bear began to feel increasingly uncomfortable.

Their thick fur, which protected them from the bitter cold of high altitudes in the winter, became a burden in the heat of summer.

The dense bamboo forest provided little ventilation, turning into a giant steam bath by noon. Ye Yunian and Apple Bear would leave the forest for the river, where they could soak and cool off.

But spending an entire day in the water wasn’t comfortable either. Ye Yunian knew it was time to move on.

Apple Bear likely had the same thought. Recently, whenever they had a break, Apple Bear would head to the deeper waters, catching as many fat fish as possible for Ye Yunian.

After all, once they left this river, it would be much harder to find such plump fish.

Ye Yunian knew this too. He had been eating less bamboo recently, focusing instead on catching fish. Every day, he trailed closely behind Apple Bear, eager to catch more.

Today’s temperature seemed even higher than usual. The early morning sun had barely risen, and Ye Yunian was already awake from the heat.

Apple Bear was up too, chewing on bamboo nearby.

By May, the bamboo shoots had been growing for some time. They weren’t as tender as they had been in early spring, but they were much larger.

The bamboo shoot Apple Bear was chewing on was nearly two meters tall.

It looked more like a bamboo cannon!

Ye Yunian got up and, without hesitation, went over to share the bamboo shoot with Apple Bear.

After finishing the bamboo, Ye Yunian lay down, panting from the heat.

Apple Bear, with his even thicker fur, was naturally feeling more uncomfortable.

Ye Yunian got up first—no way, he had to get into the water!

He bit Apple Bear’s arm.

This was Ye Yunian’s way of signaling Apple Bear to move. After doing it so many times, Apple Bear now fully understood the meaning behind the gesture.

Ye Yunian grabbed a stalk of bamboo, and Apple Bear followed, snapping off two more. The two pandas took their “bamboo takeout” to a shaded spot by the river.

The water here was deeper, but tall trees provided shade from the scorching sun.

Water, shade, and bamboo—it was the perfect setup for Ye Yunian and Apple Bear.

If there was one downside, it was that there were no stones to lie on for a nap.

Ye Yunian quickly finished the bamboo leaves from his stalk, then moved over to Apple Bear’s bamboo.

By now, Apple Bear had fully understood Ye Yunian’s appetite. Knowing the little bear loved bamboo leaves, he often left most of the leaves for Ye Yunian. This time was no exception.

The two pandas shared three stalks of bamboo, but neither of them was full.

Ye Yunian was saving the rest of his stomach for fish. He got up, ready to head to the deeper water.

Apple Bear got up and followed him.

Perhaps because they had been frequenting the area so much recently, the fish had grown wary and were no longer swimming near the vegetation.

So today, Apple Bear led Ye Yunian upstream to another area.

The water there was slower, and the vegetation was denser. The fish population was plentiful as well.

After a month of practice, Ye Yunian had become proficient in catching fish. He no longer needed Apple Bear to feed him; he could easily fill his belly on his own.

Apple Bear didn’t share his fish with Ye Yunian today either. Both pandas needed to eat as much as possible to store energy for the night’s migration.

The two pandas stood in the water, catching and eating fat fish, thoroughly satisfied.

Ye Yunian’s appetite wasn’t as large as Apple Bear’s, so he was the first to get full.

But catching fish was so fun! Even though he was full, he decided to catch fish for Apple Bear.

Just as Ye Yunian caught another fish and was about to present it to Apple Bear, he noticed Apple Bear suddenly standing upright, alert.

Ye Yunian paused, surprised.

This was the first time he had seen Apple Bear act so cautious. Could there be danger nearby?

He, too, became vigilant, sniffing the air to catch any unfamiliar scent.

But strangely, Ye Yunian didn’t smell anything threatening.

However, Apple Bear seemed to have already made up his mind. He let out a low growl toward Ye Yunian, then turned and began walking toward the shore.

Ye Yunian understood immediately—this was Apple Bear’s signal for him to leave.

Even though it was midday, Ye Yunian trusted Apple Bear’s instincts. If he was signaling danger, there was no room for doubt.

Luckily, he still had a fat fish in his mouth. Apple Bear was probably still hungry.

Ye Yunian stepped forward, intending to offer the fish to Apple Bear when he suddenly heard a familiar voice in the distance—

“Hey! Look! Is that a panda?”

“Where? Really, a giant panda?”

Ye Yunian froze mid-step, his entire body stiffening as he couldn’t help but glance toward the source of the voices.

How long had it been since he was released into the wild?

Ye Yunian couldn’t remember the exact time, but he knew it was shortly after spring had begun, and now summer was approaching.

Living with Apple Bear had been incredibly comfortable. Apple Bear was good at looking after him and had far more experience surviving in the wild than Ye Yunian.

Since joining Apple Bear, Ye Yunian had never gone hungry.

Not only that, but Apple Bear had also taught him many survival skills.

Ye Yunian had slowly gotten used to life with Apple Bear and even grew accustomed to sleeping on Apple Bear’s soft belly every night.

A belly—such a vulnerable yet warm place.

Apple Bear trusted him that much.

It was because of this trust and acceptance that Ye Yunian felt free to be himself around Apple Bear.

Their relationship was harmonious, and Ye Yunian found joy in their daily companionship.

Perhaps it was this comfort that made him forget his original goal—to return to the base.

Humans appearing here meant that the base was close by.

Now, two choices lay before Ye Yuenian:

Should he part ways with Apple Bear or leave with him?

“Wow, it really is a panda!”

“And there are two of them! Look over there—there’s another one! They’re so cute!”

“Is it a mother bear with her cub?”

The two men had already spotted Ye Yunian and the Apple Bear. The bear was becoming increasingly uneasy, but Ye Yunian hadn’t followed him yet. Instead, he stood by the riverbank, constantly calling out to Ye Yunian. Seeing Ye Yunian glance back at the two humans, the bear anxiously paced back and forth along the shore.

Ye Yunian couldn’t help but look over at the two men.

They both had backpacks and carried cameras. Since they appeared in the protected area, they were likely researchers or scientists.

Upon spotting Ye Yunian and the Apple Bear, the men didn’t approach recklessly. They remained at a distance, taking out their cameras to start recording.

All Ye Yunian had to do was walk toward them.

If he walked over, there was a chance he could follow them back to their base.

Clenching his teeth, Ye Yunian bit down on the large fish in his mouth, causing it to instinctively wriggle.

Ye Yunian closed his eyes and took a step forward.

A gust of wind blew, momentarily sweeping away the midday heat.

The dense bamboo forest rustled with the movement of the leaves, and the figures of the two pandas finally disappeared into the woods.

Only then did the two researchers begin to excitedly discuss:

“The other cub looks pretty grown-up already. It’s surprising it hasn’t been driven off by the mother bear yet.”

“Yeah, but for some reason, that little one looks kind of familiar to me.”

Ye Yunian had no idea what the two researchers were talking about. At that moment, he had just handed the large fish from his mouth to the Apple Bear, but couldn’t resist pouncing forward and playfully biting the bear’s arm.

“Apple Bear, do you even know? I just turned down a secure government job because of you! A permanent position!”

Of course, the Apple Bear had no idea.

He simply thought the cub wanted to eat, so he handed over the best part of the fish—the fish roe and belly—to Ye Yunian.

Ye Yunian let go of the bear’s arm and gleefully took a bite of the fish, his eyes sparkling with joy.

He thought to himself, “I’ll never regret this decision.”