Chapter 163

Ling Yue also laughed, bending over to pull her up, but who knew Qiao Qiao had just stood up when she took tiny quick steps to her side, and in an instant Ling Yue's head was full of little question marks.

Qiao Qiao poked her waist, Ling Yue turned her head, and Qiao Qiao came over, smiling and asking him: "Just now, did you feel especially safe?"

Ling Yue's expression flickered dazedly for a moment, then she suddenly tightened her face: "What are you daydreaming about!"

After this incident, contrary to Qiao Qiao's expectations, she not only wasn't afraid, but actively volunteered, repeatedly trying to master the reins, and her body also took on a biting chill.

Bai Ze stood to the side, slightly tilting his head, his green eyes reflecting the snow‑capped peaks: "Why keep trying?"

He clearly saw the girl's tense fingers; having had an accident, resistance is only natural.

Ling Yue tilted her head and gave him a bright smile: "Because I want to."

When faced with difficulty, retreating has never been her nature; boldly attacking and overcoming to the end is her choice.

After saying that, Ling Yue didn't look at him, took a deep breath and kept trying; she was smart and learned quickly, and soon she had mastered it all.

Unfortunately Qiao Qiao missed it, saying the village had temporarily convened a meeting needing her as the village official to chair it; Ling Yue could do nothing but let her go.

But this turned out to be convenient for Jun Jun.

Don't forget, it's a purebred Dongbei big tiger; having watched Ling Yue ski earlier, it had been drooling uncontrollably, and once permitted, the little plush toy grew at a visible speed.

In the blink of an eye, Jun Jun had completely turned into a big tiger, its long pure white fur blending with the surrounding snow, making it impossible to tell which was snow and which was tiger.

The big tiger shook its body, its glossy fur like a smooth satin; its big paws in the snow left a big plum blossom with each step, its fluffy head as big as a washbasin, standing before Ling Yue, mighty and imposing.

The next moment, the mighty big tiger lay on the sled and howled: "I'm going to fly down!"

As soon as the words fell, it swooshed down the small slope, unable to keep its direction, veering off and plunging headfirst into a snow pit.

Ling Yue laughed until tears were about to spill.

The tiger in the snow pit wiggled its rear, popping out like a radish, and Jun Jun dazedly shook his big head: "So cold, so cold!"

Ling Yue: "……"

Jun Jun was having a blast, roaring relaxedly, his big paws digging holes in the snow, making a rustling sound.

It roared joyfully, telling the small creatures of the mountains and forests that the great king had finally returned!

Fortunately this is Qiao Qiao's secret base, far from the village, and normally no one passes by.

Otherwise, someone would have already called the police.

Da Lao Hu Junjun turned its head, calling from its snow pit: "Yueyue, come quick, this is so comfy!"

While saying that, it actually rolled in the snow, its huge fluffy head shaking with childish motions, looking rather deadly cute.

Extremely cute.

However, Ling Yue shook her head, firmly refusing to "join the mud" with it; Jun Jun sighed regretfully, but it didn't dampen his good mood.

"I want to go home! Yueyue, I'm finally going home!"

Before it could see Ling Yue's reaction, Bai Ze mocked it first.

The man glanced toward the distant Changbai Mountain, and in a place Ling Yue couldn't see, his usually warm brows and eyes actually showed a hint of licentiousness.

He opened his mouth, his clear voice transmitted solely into Jun Jun's ears: "Having sunk to this point, you still have the nerve to speak—are you really my half‑self?"

Jun Jun's ears perked up instantly, he roared angrily and charged at Bai Ze; Ling Yue saw it and couldn't stop him in time, only able to shout: "Jun Jun!"

The sprinting Jun Jun's motion stalled, his tiger eyes still glaring at him, even baring teeth and flashing claws: "I'm not!"

Who would be that kind of person's half‑self! He looks shady, definitely not a good guy!

Tiger Tiger Disdain. JPG

Ling Yue rushed over, nervously hugging Jun Jun's neck, asking: "Why did you suddenly rush over?"

Jun Jun instantly stiffened, expecting her harsh criticism next, but Ling Yue suddenly rubbed his big ears.

His ears, a sensitive spot as important as his tail, were pinched by soft warm fingers; Jun Jun shuddered, his limbs went weak, almost unable to hold himself up, and he gave Ling Yue a strange look.

Before he could speak, he heard Ling Yue's voice: "He's a divine beast; if you fight him, you'll get hurt, and I'll be the one who feels sorry."

Actually, Ling Yue had long known that Jun Jun and Bai Ze didn't get along, but she never imagined things would develop to this point.

Compared to Bai Ze, Ling Yue naturally favors Jun Jun; they've known each other much longer, and after stroking its fur, Ling Yue thinks: "Jun Jun is so adorable—how could it ever bully anyone on purpose!"

Lust confounds the mind, lust confounds the mind!

After saying that, Ling Yue suddenly remembered to ask: "Jun Jun, what exactly just happened?"

Jun Jun's eyes darted, he shook his head and changed the subject: "You, you don't hug me."

He feels as if he'd guzzled several bottles of strong liquor, dizzy and drunk.

How can this be? He's the king of beasts, a great tiger!

Moreover—

Jun Jun flatly denied: "No way!"

Ling Yue looked at him doubtfully, hearing Jun Jun earnestly explain: "I won't get hurt; he's simply not my match!"

Hearing that, Ling Yue laughed.

However, what Jun Jun said is indeed true—he's no ordinary tiger, and Bai Ze isn't at his peak; if they fought, the most likely outcome would actually be a draw.

But Ling Yue doesn't know any of this.

She was still soothing the big tiger, and her affectionate gesture fell into Bai Ze's eyes; the man frowned slightly—what's there to comfort about such a fool?

Jun Jun seemed to sense his thought; originally enjoying squinting eyes, he suddenly glared ferociously at him, his gaze saying: "With me around, you'd better not think of getting close to Yueyue!"

Meanwhile, Qiao Qiao's side had reached an impasse; clearly she was chairing the villagers' meeting and was the true village head, yet now most villagers were actually siding with one person.

Qiao Qiao's expression instantly turned subtle.

She looked across at the middle‑aged man in a suit, who seemed to notice, then suddenly smiled and greeted her familiarly: "My dear niece, what's wrong?"

"Aren't you happy? You never expected it, but your uncle me actually has a day to come back."

He stood up, and even a proper expensive suit couldn't hide the smugness radiating from him—moreover, all of this is fake.

The man narrowed his eyes; his purpose in returning isn't this—he has more important matters to attend to.

At this moment, the villagers nearby, unable to wait any longer, had already swarmed over, eagerly currying favor: "Old Second Qiao, I'm your Aunt Zhou, I never thought you'd have a day to come back."

"Look at these clothes on me—I watch TV and hear people say this is called a Western suit; only rich people can afford to wear one!"

"Tsk tsk, look at this outfit—you've really made it out there, earning big money!"

"What do you intend to do by coming home this time?"

These words voiced everyone's feelings; the villagers were of mixed opinion, a few gazing at him with hopeful eyes, praising him aloud while sneering inside.

"Heaven's blind—how could such a scoundrel manage to turn his fortunes around?!"

Speaking of this, one cannot avoid mentioning Old Second Qiao's dark past. Years ago, he was the village's notorious good-for-nothing, stirring up trouble with cats and dogs, doing everything wicked; back then hardly anyone looked up to him.

Later he suddenly ran off; it's said that before leaving he even stole all his brother's savings—that is, all the money Old Man Qiao had—and vanished without a trace.

Now, returning in glory, the villagers are so curious their eyes are practically popping out.

Qiao Qiao listening nearby felt her brows knit into a knot—something's off; there must be something fishy here.

What happened next gave her no time to think.

Old Second Qiao casually slapped the table, and a black‑and‑white lease contract appeared; he declared domineeringly, "I want to build a factory on the manor behind our village."

His words were like a thunderbolt, a spark that instantly ignited; everyone stared at him in shock and disbelief—build a factory? Him?!

How could that be possible!

That was everyone's first impression—no matter how rich he is, he couldn't afford to start a factory!

However, attached to the lease contract was also a bank card.

Old Second Qiao: "Inside are 200,000 yuan, to serve as my advance deposit for the lease."

His display of wealth instantly awed everyone present.

Old Second Qiao gave his niece an inscrutable look; though he wore a smile, it inexplicably sent a chill down her back.

"Dear niece, do you think Uncle Second's sponsorship is enough? He's supporting you without holding past grudges."

Shameless!

How could there be such a shameless person!

Qiao Qiao was so angry she could hardly speak; the matter must be traced back years ago, when Uncle Second, no matter how idle, was still a family member.

But who could have imagined that after her mother became pregnant, Uncle Second suddenly stole all the family's money and fled.

You must know, it was the coldest winter then; the family had no money, couldn't even buy coal—in Dongbei winter temperatures drop dozens of degrees below zero; freezing to death is no mere figure of speech.

Moreover, her mother was pregnant; in that bitter cold, a moment's carelessness could mean two lives lost.

She endured until her husband returned, yet Qiao Qiao was born with a congenital frailty.

How dare he show his face again!

Qiao Qiao held back her anger, bit her lip, and examined the contract he'd placed on the table; no matter what, she must answer for the villagers.

Meanwhile, others bombarded Uncle Second with questions: "What kind of factory are you opening, what does it do, what are the hiring requirements?"

Uncle Second answered each in turn; his factory is small, with little investment, the only downside possibly being that it could cause widespread pollution.

He gave no thought to any of that.

His sole purpose in returning was to get hold of that batch of goods; otherwise, Uncle Second would sneer, a flicker of contempt in his eyes, and declare that even if beaten to death he'd never come back to this poor, remote backwater.

But then something unexpected happened—Qiao Qiao shook her head and actually refused.

Uncle Second's motion stalled, he narrowed his eyes—could it be… she's found out?

Qiao Qiao pointed at the factory and explained, "I disagree; your factory exceeds pollution limits and takes up a lot of land—it will surely damage the surrounding environment."

Uncle Second chuckled, reading her attitude and realizing he wouldn't gain anything today.

Suddenly his smile faded, he gave Qiao Qiao a meaningful look: "Fine, my good niece, I hope you can keep standing by your decision."

Before leaving, he suddenly dropped another bombshell: "Elders and villagers, you must believe I'm doing this to give back to you—I originally planned to build the factory here, and the workers would all be from our Jinkou villagers, but now—"

He let out a long sigh; the rest of his words went unsaid, yet everyone heard them loud and clear.

Uncle Second left quickly, leaving a few villagers whose thoughts he'd stirred with a couple of sentences, now muttering complaints against Qiao Qiao.

"Qiao Qiao, what's the deal? It's just a small factory—why won't you loosen up?"

Qiao Qiao felt almost devoured by their gazes, yet many more people backed her—

"Thud thud thud!" The village's eldest, Grandpa Xu, tapped his cane, his sharp gaze sweeping over: "A bunch of short‑sighted fools!"

"I see that guy's up to no good—big boss? If he were really a big boss, I'd still be a tycoon!"

"You're just superficial—seeing only the immediate profit, not thinking for future generations; if the land gets polluted, what will we eat? What will the children eat?"

"And what do you think this white‑eyed wolf could ever do good? You've forgotten all the bad things he's done before."

Someone muttered a remark, and the old man immediately shouted him down, spitting blood—true, as they say, ginger gets spicier with age; Grandpa Xu's few words knocked the opening strikes all over.

Finally he said: "I just don't believe a dog can change its habit of eating feces!"

On her way back, Qiao Qiao had already steadied her mood, but hearing Ling Yue's words left her stunned: "Going into the mountains?"

Qiao Qiao stared at Ling Yue and Bai Ze in disbelief, suspecting she'd hallucinated: "You're going into the mountains?"

Ling Yue nodded—it was a notice, not a question.

She thought Qiao Qiao would say something; instead she just squeezed the little sachet Ling Yue had given her, eyes worried, yet still said, "I know I've watched all your livestreams—you'll be fine going into the mountains!"

"Then I'll be waiting at home for your good news!"

As for why Ling Yue suddenly went into the mountains, Qiao Qiao didn't ask; it was simply an unspoken understanding between close friends.

Ling Yue felt warm inside,

until night fell, she drifted into a sweet dream, only to be jerked awake by a burst of sobbing.

Ling Yue opened her eyes; the snug blanket made her not want to move a muscle. She shifted her gaze to the window—this time even the wind's howl had vanished, and in the pitch‑black sky echoed a mournful wail.

It made her sigh involuntarily.

This time the voice carried new content; its owner wept while saying, "Wuu wuu wuu~ don't die…… wuu wuu wuu…… please don't die……"

I don't know why, Ling Yue suddenly caught a hint of milky scent, but she can't just keep being woken up like this, right? Good thing she's heading into the mountains tomorrow.

Ling Yue didn't know whether the crying would suddenly disappear like yesterday, so she chose to get up immediately and found the discarded newspaper beside her.

Not long after, a beautiful paper crane appeared in her hand; Ling Yue opened the window, a cold draft instantly flooded the room, Ling Yue stiffened, and she quickly sent the paper crane flying.

Go.

Then, with the speed of thunder before one can cover their ears, she lay back under the blankets.

Bang bang bang—

The paper crane, given life by her, flapped its wings, tapped the glass window three times, then flew toward the forest; aside from its appearance, it was just like a real bird.

This is Ling Yue's newly learned tracking technique.

But now, she is completely unable to sleep.

Ling Yue had stayed up half the night, tossing and turning and sighing; the little stuffed doll on her wrist suddenly moved—it was Jun Jun—and what Ling Yue didn't expect was that it actually volunteered to be a pillow.

Before Ling Yue could answer, Da Lao Hu Junjun had already reverted to its true form; on the large heated brick bed, the pure-white tiger, like fine silk, completely surrounded her.

Ling Yue, who had just been about to refuse, silently closed her mouth; the soft, warm tiger fur was really comfortable.

Suddenly, Ling Yue heard Jun Jun's voice: "Yueyue, how do I compare to Bai Ze?"

Jun Jun bragged beside her ear: "I can be your pillow, I can fly with you on my back—that guy definitely can't do that, right?"

Ling Yue nodded, stroking the fine, smooth fur of the big tiger; Jun Jun suddenly paused, its fluffy big head actively pressing against her palm, eyes blinking, and asked her: "Yueyue, do you like me the most?"、、.