The night was deep, and the dense forest cast eerie shadows, with a mist slowly creeping in, adding a cold chill to the already inky darkness.

In such a quiet night, the crisp sound of an apple being bitten into echoed particularly loudly.

So… what was going on here?

Was this male panda here to… eat apples?

Wasn’t he supposed to fight me?

Ye Yunian found the situation hard to believe. He slowed his breathing and cautiously watched the unfamiliar male panda in the distance, who was contentedly munching on an apple.

Ye Yunian had emptied all the apples from his bag, intending to pack them up and take them up the tree. He hung the bag on a branch and began bringing the apples up in batches.

The hillside they were on had a slight slope, so some of the apples rolled away as soon as they were dumped onto the ground. Focused on gathering the ones right in front of him, Ye Yunian paid no attention to the apples that had rolled into the surrounding trees.

For a panda, an apple only took a few bites to finish. After devouring the apple in his paw, the unfamiliar panda licked his lips, stood up, and started moving again.

Now that he was closer, Ye Yunian could see him more clearly—this adolescent male panda was nearly twice his size!

Even though they both looked adorably chubby and cute, this bear was much bigger than him. If he decided to attack, Ye Yunian was absolutely no match for him.

Oh no, I knew I wasn’t cut out for life in the wild!

The base will regret releasing me back here!

Maybe… I should just jump down and sit on him to squash him to death?

Besides that, Ye Yunian had no other plan.

But just then, the unfamiliar panda stopped again. He lowered his head and picked up another apple.

Wait, so he’s really just here to eat apples?!

Ye Yunian felt his tension ease a little but didn’t dare relax completely. He began observing the panda carefully while considering his next move.

The staff had left Ye Yunian way too many apples. Even though he had already taken a good portion up into the tree, there were still about forty apples left on the ground, not to mention the others that had rolled into the woods, bringing the total to over fifty.

That’s a lot of apples…

Is this greedy panda planning to eat them all in one go?

Turns out he was.

The unfamiliar panda first ate all the scattered apples around the area and then leisurely sat down under the tree to enjoy the remaining forty apples.

Pandas aren’t known for fast eating, and this male panda was no different. He clearly noticed Ye Yunian sitting up in the tree, but he didn’t even glance at him, continuing to enjoy his meal at a leisurely pace. It was clear he didn’t see Ye Yunian as a threat.

Such behavior would have provoked any other wild panda to rush over and warn him off, even if they knew the power gap between them.

But Ye Yunian had no such death wish.

He stayed still, clinging to the tree, hoping to reduce his presence as much as possible. As the other panda focused on his apples, Ye Yunian cautiously kept watching him.

After all, this wild panda might be a jerk for blocking him in the tree and eating his apples, but he was undeniably cute.

But wait, why am I thinking about how cute this apple thief is right now?!

Ye Yunian mentally scolded himself. How could he find a panda who might attack him at any moment cute?

Also, that greedy bear just ate over fifty apples!

Ye Yunian, gritting his teeth, thought to himself, Even I’ve never been that indulgent! He had to figure out a way to escape before it was too late.

The apple the panda was currently munching on was the last one on the ground. If Ye Yunian didn’t think of something soon, this greedy bear might climb the tree next and steal the entire bag of apples!

Ye Yunian had noticed earlier that the top of his tree had a branch extending toward a nearby tree, though it looked quite thin and might not support his weight.

But if he could jump from this tree to the next and grab onto the branch, there was a chance he could escape.

Besides, there were still apples hanging from the tree. Since the unfamiliar panda seemed more interested in the apples, maybe he wouldn’t bother chasing after Ye Yunian.

Just as Ye Yunian was finalizing his plan, the male panda below finished the last apple, licked his lips, and looked up at him.

Caught off guard, Ye Yunian ducked behind the branch instinctively, reacting like any animal would when faced with a stronger predator.

He told himself not to panic as he slowly extended a paw, preparing to climb higher.

But the moment Ye Yunian moved, the unfamiliar panda stirred too.

Ye Yunian’s heart raced—this greedy panda was still after his apples!

“Eeee-uuu-uuu!” He couldn’t hold back and let out a series of panicked cries.

The unfamiliar panda paused mid-step, but after a moment, it continued forward.

Ye Yunian, now scrambling up the tree faster, hadn’t noticed the subtle pause. As he climbed higher, the branches became thinner and the tree shook more violently.

Suddenly, there was a crisp “crack”—the branch Ye Yunian had been holding onto snapped.

Terrified, Ye Yunian clung to another branch, narrowly avoiding a fall. He let out another string of nervous, frustrated cries.

The tree swayed even more violently, and Ye Yunian, now too scared to move, clung tightly to the branch and started wailing again. His cries echoed through the forest, as if they were the only way to calm his anxiety and fear.

Just then, an unfamiliar bleating sound reached his ears.

Ye Yunian’s round ears twitched, and his cries came to an abrupt stop.

As a panda, he was highly attuned to the sounds of his species.

That noise just now…

Looking down, he locked eyes with the unfamiliar panda’s dark eyes below.

The panda stood about five or six meters away, gazing up at him with wide, sparkling eyes. It bleated again.

Ye Yunian: “…”

Wait, you didn’t even climb up after me?!

All that shaking just now… I thought you were climbing the tree!

If you weren’t going to climb, why didn’t you say so earlier? You nearly scared me to death!

Annoyed, Ye Yunian’s fear slowly subsided. He wasn’t as terrified as before and, fueled by frustration, began shouting back at the unfamiliar panda.

His cries, though intended to be fierce, lacked any real menace, coming out more as whines of irritation and complaint.

The unfamiliar panda tilted his head, showing no intention of getting closer and not responding to Ye Yunian’s outburst.

After a few seconds of silence, the unfamiliar panda slowly looked away, his gaze falling on the bag of apples hanging from the tree.

He’s still thinking about my apples!

Somehow, after yelling at the unfamiliar panda and not being attacked in return, Ye Yunian felt a little more confident. Perhaps because he had yelled at him once without consequence, or maybe because he was getting used to the situation, Ye Yunian shouted at the panda again:

“You’ve already eaten over fifty of my apples! You greedy apple-obsessed panda!”

“Do you have any idea how many calories you’re consuming? You’re going to give yourself diabetes!”

Though Ye Yunian’s tirade was full of complaints, the unfamiliar panda didn’t seem to understand his words. Still, he could sense the small panda’s displeasure from his tone.

Wild pandas generally fight for two reasons: territory disputes or competition for mates.

Since this unfamiliar panda was still a juvenile and Ye Yunian was also a male, with no female pandas nearby, there was no issue of competing for mates.

As for territory… this wasn’t part of the unfamiliar panda’s territory.

The unfamiliar panda glanced up at the bag of apples once more before, to Ye Yunian’s surprise, he slowly turned and began walking back into the woods.

Ye Yunian blinked, still in shock.

Wait, just like that?

So he really just came to eat apples, not to fight me?

Still reeling, Ye Yunian let out a long sigh of relief.

There’s no time to waste—better leave this dangerous place while I still can!

Ye Yunian immediately prepared to climb down the tree. But just as he extended his paw, a wolf howled in the distance.

Ye Yunian: “…”

Without hesitation, he retracted his paw.

The scent of the apple panda had faded, so he probably wouldn’t return anytime soon… right?

Maybe I don’t need to rush off just yet—better wait until morning.

Once the tension in his body eased, exhaustion hit him like a wave.
After packing apples and dealing with the apple bear, Ye Yunian’s energy was completely drained. Before long, he crawled down to a thicker branch, lay down, and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

His rest was far from peaceful, though. He woke up several times during the night to strange sounds in the forest.

It wasn’t until dawn, when the sky began to lighten, that Ye Yunian finally fell into a deep sleep.

What woke him the next time was a growling hunger in his belly.

It was another beautiful day. Ye Yunian was perched high in the tree, basking in the warm morning sun. The fog had lifted, revealing a clear blue sky. As he stretched and yawned, he reached into his bag for an apple.
Just as he brought the apple to his lips, Ye Yunian sensed something was amiss.

Why was he smelling the Apple Bear again?!

Was it an illusion?

Or had the Apple Bear left its scent here last night?

No, he had to leave this dangerous place immediately!

Ye Yunian quickly finished eating an apple in two bites, preparing to drag his apple bag down from the tree. Suddenly, he heard rustling sounds coming from the nearby bamboo grove.

Looking down, Ye Yunian’s eyes met those of the Apple Bear, who was heading straight for him.

Ye Yunian: “…”

So it wasn’t an illusion!

As soon as the Apple Bear realized it had been spotted, it picked up speed and hurried toward him.

Ye Yunian froze in place, regretting not running away last night.

Now he was cornered by the bear again!

Frustrated, Ye Yunian couldn’t hold back and started yelling at the Apple Bear.

But this time, his shouting had no effect. The Apple Bear only ran faster.

The bear was particularly large and muscular, with thick layers of fat that made a “thud thud thud” sound as it ran—oddly, it looked kind of cute.

But Ye Yunian wasn’t fooled by its appearance, so he shouted even louder.

“Yaaawooo yaa yaa yow!” he howled, a long string of strange noises.

Yet the Apple Bear didn’t seem to understand him. It only stopped running when it was about ten meters away from the tree.

Ye Yunian stopped shouting, attempting to intimidate the bear with his eyes.

The Apple Bear, however, simply lowered its head and dropped something from its mouth. Then, with its paw, it nudged the object on the ground.

It was dark in color, blending almost perfectly with the bear’s black-and-white fur. Ye Yunian had been too nervous earlier to notice the object in its mouth.

Now, as he saw the bear’s movement, he realized what lay on the ground—a long stick… no, a bamboo shoot?

???

Just then, the Apple Bear raised its head, his eyes sparkling on his handsome face. It nodded at Ye Yunian, then nudged the bamboo shoot again with its paw, casting an expectant glance at the apple bag beside Ye Yunian.

Ye Yunian was bewildered.

Huh?