151 Candor

The clouded leopard had completely lost all resistance against Du Ruo. As Du Ruo stroked it, it comfortably lay down on the ground, exposing its belly, wrapping its paws around Du Ruo's arm, and squinting its eyes in pure bliss.

"Come on, give it a try. A clouded leopard's fur feels amazing—nothing like a cat or a dog at all."

Du Ruo took Xiang Yuanyuan's hand and placed it gently on the clouded leopard's head.

"Whimper!"

Sensing Xiang Yuanyuan was still somewhat guarded, the clouded leopard grabbed both of their hands with its paws, opened its mouth to nibble on them, and let out a soft whimpering sound.

"Don't be afraid. Take out the beef."

Du Ruo could feel that the clouded leopard meant no harm. Although its mouth was over their hands, it wasn't applying any real pressure, just gently exploring with its teeth.

"Mm-hmm, with you here, I'm not afraid."

Xiang Yuanyuan smiled at Du Ruo and used one hand to pull out the plastic bag containing the beef. She hadn't flinched when the leopard first lunged, knowing that Du Ruo would and could protect her.

The clouded leopard, which had been gently mouthing their palms, immediately caught the scent of the beef, let out their hands, and leaned forward to feast voraciously.

As it ate the beef, the clouded leopard no longer cared about Xiang Yuanyuan stroking its body. It only occasionally looked up to rub its head against Du Ruo's hand, making the preference abundantly clear. Even so, Xiang Yuanyuan was thrilled and satisfied just to be able to touch the clouded leopard. Using both hands, she found its fur remarkably soft and smooth to the touch.

"Come on, let's go check on the little ones. These two leopard cubs were born only about twenty days ago, just opened their eyes recently, and can't walk yet."

Du Ruo led Xiang Yuanyuan a few steps over to the edge of the grassy nest. The two baby clouded leopards seemed to have just eaten their fill; their bellies were round and plump as they slept soundly on their backs with their limbs sprawled out.

Without standing on ceremony, Du Ruo picked up the kitten-sized clouded leopard cubs one in each hand, keeping one for himself and handing the other to Xiang Yuanyuan.

The mother clouded leopard merely glanced back before returning to her meal.

"The baby clouded leopard is so cute! It's round and fluffy, just like a tiny kitten."

Xiang Yuanyuan held the baby leopard up to her face to examine it, feeling as though her heart was melting. The little cub was simply adorable, and though picked up by Du Ruo, it hadn't woken up, remaining limp and limp as Xiang Yuanyuan cradled it.

Just then, Du Ruo looked up and saw a kestrel standing near its nest on the cliff, peering down. He took a piece of beef from the plastic bag, placed it in the palm of his hand, and stretched his arm outward.

This piece of beef was one Du Ruo had specifically asked to be cut to the size of two thumbs—small, but enough to give the kestrel a hearty meal as compensation for accidentally hurting it last time.

Xiang Yuanyuan noticed Du Ruo's movement. Looking up, she missed seeing the kestrel's nest, but she didn't ask questions. Instead, she carefully cradled the baby leopard against her chest with one hand and stroked it gently, watching Du Ruo's actions.

*Whoosh!*

As if responding to some signal, a piercing sound ripped through the air. The kestrel dove straight down from the sky, grabbed the piece of beef in Du Ruo's palm, and instantly tried to take off.

"???"

The kestrel fluttered its wings a few times, failing to lift off. It lowered its head to look at its talons, confirming it hadn't grabbed the wrong thing—it had indeed secured the target (the beef nugget)—yet it simply couldn't take flight. Giving up for a moment, it stood on Du Ruo's palm, tilted its head, and stared at Du Ruo as if saying, "What else do you want?"

Make no mistake, Du Ruo wasn't using some mythical Tai Chi internal force—the kind rumored to neutralize the push-off momentum of a bird taking flight, leaving palm-perched avian creatures grounded.

Du Ruo knew that was a total rumor. Birds indeed needed to push off with their legs to accelerate takeoff, but it wasn't absolute. A master flyer like the kestrel could launch directly into the air by beating its wings alone, even without a leg push, though the initial velocity might not be as fast.

The reason the kestrel couldn't fly was simply because Du Ruo had gently pinned its feet between his fingers.

"This is that silly kestrel I mentioned. Its eyesight seems a bit bad; it's always grabbing the wrong things..."

Holding the kestrel in his palm, Du Ruo recounted some of its amusing anecdotes to Xiang Yuanyuan. At that moment, Du Ruo looked utterly radiant, like someone sharing their most cherished hobby with a friend.

The kestrel stopped trying to fly. Standing on Du Ruo's hand while clutching the beef, it used its beak to tear off pieces and eat them bite by bite. After all, Du Ruo hadn't harmed it despite several encounters and constantly rewarded it with food, making it as gullible as a child.

"Mm-hmm, it really does look a bit lacking in the brains department."

Xiang Yuanyuan's eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled, extending a finger as if wanting to stroke the kestrel's little head.

*Ke~*

Right as the kestrel was eating, seeing Xiang Yuanyuan's finger reach out, it thrust its beak forward and delivered a sharp peck. Du Ruo didn't stop it; he just watched with a gentle smile.

"Ouch, this little thing is quite feisty."

Nursing a slight sting, Xiang Yuanyuan pulled back her finger and inspected it. There was just a tiny red dot, and the skin wasn't even broken.

After looking at it for a couple of seconds, Xiang Yuanyuan lost interest. She still preferred the clouded leopard cub in her arms—it was soft and cuddly, and even in its sleep, it seemed to be nursing, sucking gently on Xiang Yuanyuan's arm and sending ticklish shivers through her.

"Off you go."

Du Ruo flicked his palm slightly, prompting the kestrel to fly away with its beef, then wiped his beef-greased fingers against the fur of the baby leopard in his arms to clean them.

Each holding a baby leopard cub, the two sat atop a giant boulder. Xiang Yuanyuan rested her head on Du Ruo's shoulder. The mother clouded leopard had finished eating and squatted beside Du Ruo, licking its paws as its tail swung back and forth in contentment.

"This is so nice."

Xiang Yuanyuan gazed at the hazy scenery in the distance, murmuring softly under her breath, unsure whether she was talking about the landscape or something else entirely.

Du Ruo didn't speak; he just gently rubbed his cheek against Xiang Yuanyuan's hair.

"Whenever you go up into the mountains from now on, you must take me with you!"

Xiang Yuanyuan lifted her head, turned to face Du Ruo, and made the demand with a deadpan, serious expression.

"Mwah~ Sealed with a kiss. It's a deal."

Seeing Xiang Yuanyuan's expression, Du Ruo quickly leaned in and planted a kiss on the corner of her lips before answering.

*Meow-oo~*

Before Xiang Yuanyuan could even react, the nearby clouded leopard leaped up from the ground, placed its front paws on Du Ruo's shoulder, and craned its head forward to investigate.

"Shoo, get lost. Go lick your own babies."

Du Ruo lifted the baby leopard in his hand and held it right up to the mother leopard's muzzle so she would pick it up and carry it back to the nest.

"Hehe~"

Seeing this, Xiang Yuanyuan couldn't help bursting into laughter.

The two lingered together on the massive boulder for a long time. Du Ruo held Xiang Yuanyuan close as they watched the distant landscape, occasionally exchanging soft whispers. Time slipped quietly away amidst the serene beauty of the fleeting moments.

After sitting for a while, just like before, Du Ruo waited until the sun rose higher before bringing Xiang Yuanyuan down to bid farewell to the clouded leopard family.

Clinging to Du Ruo's back, Xiang Yuanyuan felt completely secure as he moved with lightning speed. She occasionally turned her head to admire the wildflowers and plants along the path. While she wasn't as frantic as she had been at first, her excitement remained unabated—she was practically on the verge of humming a tune.

"Haha, so the two young lovebirds went up the mountain together today, eh?"

As they came down the mountain and stepped out onto the path, a hearty laugh rang out. It was Yang Chenguang's father.

At that moment, he was standing in the tea plantation, leaning on a hoe and smiling at the couple.

He didn't feel surprised at all by their intimacy. They weren't fools; Du Ruo and Xiang Yuanyuan were both single, and they spent a lot of time together anyway. It didn't seem out of the ordinary for them to end up as a couple.

He was just teasing them because he happened to see the two of them coming down from the mountain together today.

"That's right, Uncle Yang. From now on, I'll be accompanying him whenever he goes up the mountain for a stroll."

To everyone's surprise, Xiang Yuanyuan loudly talked back to Yang Chenguang's father, patting Du Ruo's shoulder to signal him to put her down.

"That's wonderful! But you two better be careful—don't go picking mushrooms to eat up there in the mountains."

Yang Chenguang's father chuckled, adding one final piece of warning.

Judging by his tone, his worrywart younger brother and son winding up in the hospital twice had clearly given him quite a headache.

"Got it. But my older sister mailed some mushrooms back from Yunnan, and they should arrive by tonight. Shall I bring some over for you then, Uncle Yang?"

Hearing Uncle Yang mention mushrooms, Du Ruo suddenly remembered that his sister Du Na had mailed a batch back, and he couldn't help but offer. Good things were meant to be shared with friends and family, after all.

Knowing how Du Na had gritted her teeth when mentioning the shipping costs for those mushrooms—all just to send the freshest possible fungi home for Du Ruo to taste—it was clear she had spent a small fortune selecting the fastest and most expensive courier service available.

"Mushrooms from Yunnan, you say? Well then, sure! Bring some over for your uncle when they get here. Doesn't have to be much, just enough for me to taste something fresh."

Hearing this, Uncle Yang smacked his lips, tempted by Du Ruo's offer. At that moment, he had completely forgotten his own warning, his mind presumably consumed entirely by the savory aroma of mushrooms.

True to form, birds of a feather flock together; neither of them could resist their feet freezing in place at the mere mention of mushrooms.

"All right then, we're heading back first. You carry on with your work, Uncle Yang."

Holding the hand of a snickering Xiang Yuanyuan, Du Ruo walked briskly down the mountain path.

After they descended, the two had breakfast and then took Maomao down to the river to check the fishing nets.

Early romance was always like this: you wished you could fill your eyes with nothing but each other, wanting to stick together through every trivial task, never tiring of it even in the sweltering heat.

"You go on ahead first. I'll go prep these fish and shrimp, and I'll come find you in a bit."

Right downstairs by the tavern, after saying those words, Xiang Yuanyuan quickly planted a kiss on Du Ruo's cheek and scurried up to the second floor, humming a tune as she ran.

Rubbing the spot on his cheek where she had just kissed him, Du Ruo led Maomao toward his courtyard room.

Du Ruo ran through a few sets of boxing routines in the courtyard before taking a quick shower in the bathroom. Afterward, he rummaged through his room for a moment, then walked out to the living room coffee table with a package to brew some tea while waiting for Xiang Yuanyuan to arrive.

Scarcely had the tea finished steeping when Xiang Yuanyuan appeared. She had applied a touch of makeup, wore a pale red long dress, and sported sandals. Holding her phone, she walked straight into the living room without Du Ruo needing to lock the door, taking a seat on the sofa right next to him.

"You look so pretty dressed like this."

Du Ruo poured a cup of tea for Xiang Yuanyuan while offering a compliment. The only other time he had seen her wearing makeup was yesterday when she met his parents. Ordinarily, Xiang Yuanyuan possessed natural beauty; aside from putting on some cosmetics when filming videos, she usually went completely bare-faced and wasn't overly preoccupied with her image.

"Do you like it? If you like it, I'll dress like this every day."

Instead of drinking the tea, Xiang Yuanyuan leaned her face right up close to Du Ruo so he could get a better look.

"What I like is you. Just seeing you makes me happy; everything else doesn't matter."

Du Ruo pressed his forehead gently against Xiang Yuanyuan's, staring directly into her eyes as he uttered sweet nothings. He had dated before, after all, and knew what women liked to hear.

"I'm very satisfied with that answer. Here's a reward."

Wearing a bright smile, Xiang Yuanyuan gave him a quick peck before immediately sitting back up and taking a sip of her tea.

Maomao, who had been resting flat on the living room floor, watched the scene unfold, stood up, and trotted outside.

"I have something to give you~"

"I have something to give you~"

Almost simultaneously, Du Ruo and Xiang Yuanyuan spoke up. Xiang Yuanyuan retrieved an item from underneath her phone, while Du Ruo simultaneously pulled out the item he had kept beside him, holding it out toward her.

"Heehee, I'll go first. There's 1.5 million yuan in here, with the PIN code stuck right on top. This is all the money I earned running the tavern this past year. Now it's all yours, and you're not allowed to bully me anymore."

Holding the bank card in her hand with a mischievous grin, Xiang Yuanyuan stared intently at Du Ruo.

"I've got 5 million yuan here. The PIN is six-six-six-six-six-six. It's the reward from helping someone handle a little matter. I'm handing all of it over for you to manage, and I hope you won't ever shortchange yourself either."

With an equally serious expression, Du Ruo held up another bank card.

"Deal, I'll take it. You take this one too."

Xiang Yuanyuan accepted Du Ruo's bank card while placing her own into his hand.

The two exchanged smiles while holding each other's bank cards. They weren't young anymore, and they didn't want to miss out on each other. Since they had met and felt it was right, they chose to trust one another. Besides, this was also a test—in today's society, what test was more direct than money?

A person's most primitive reaction upon acquiring a massive sum of wealth could reveal a multitude of truths.

"Wait, is running a tavern really that lucrative? You made 1.5 million in a single year?"

Stowing the card away, Du Ruo pulled Xiang Yuanyuan into an embrace against the sofa and asked out of sheer curiosity, eager to learn her secret to wealth.

"Yup, it's super profitable! My initial capital was my New Year's lucky money, and whenever I needed stock, I'd just have my mom ship the liquor over. I sell several thousand to nearly ten thousand yuan worth every single day."

Xiang Yuanyuan explained with a cheeky smile, tilting her head up to look at him.

"Uh... that's amazing!"

Speechless for a moment, Du Ruo could only raise a hand and give her a thumbs-up.

"Don't worry, though! Even though I make decent money, I'm not a spendthrift. Aside from buying alcohol, I don't have any other major expenses. I'm really cheap to keep."

Knowing how she had acquired those funds—without her family supplying the liquor, she might not have lost money, but she certainly wouldn't have earned this much—Xiang Yuanyuan offered a soft explanation, afraid Du Ruo might misunderstand.

"Right, I know. But I'm not nearly as low-maintenance as you. I eat a ton—lots of beef every single day—and I have to drink medicinal wine too. Don't worry, though, I'm going to work hard to make money."

Chatting away, it felt like an authentic opening of their hearts.

Du Ruo had already decided that apart from the system interface and his trip to the Philippines, he would answer whatever Xiang Yuanyuan asked him honestly, including how many girlfriends he had dated in the past.

As it turned out, Xiang Yuanyuan didn't pry into those details; she simply chatted about which medicinal wines tasted the best, what flavor profiles they had, and what health benefits they offered.

"I'm planning to head out on a trip tomorrow. I haven't decided how long I'll be gone yet."

Mid-conversation, Du Ruo suddenly dropped the announcement.

Instantly, the living room fell silent.