On the fifth day in Changbai Mountain, the fog, like crumpled cotton wool, lingered in the pine forest.

Yu Jiuyuan walked deeper into the forest, stepping on the dew-covered branches. Even with her windbreaker zipped up to the top, she still couldn't escape the damp chill of the woods.

She was clutching a compressed biscuit in her hand, which she had taken from the cafeteria that morning. Yuan Xu had said early in the morning that she was going to collect moss samples from the back mountain, but she hadn't returned yet, probably because she had forgotten the time.

On the system panel, Yuanxu's positive emotions remained stable at 75, and her favorability rating of 73 was prominently displayed.

This boy, who is obsessed with biology, can always be easily captivated by a rare patch of lichen or a hibernating beetle. His mind is as pure as the snowmelt from Changbai Mountain, easy to understand, but also requires the most patience.

"Yuan Xu?" Yu Jiuyuan pushed aside the bushes blocking her path, her voice muffled by the mist, "Where are you?"

The only response she received was the mournful sound of the wind whistling through the pine needles.

She took out her phone and glanced at it; the signal bars were completely empty, so it seemed she had wandered into a place with no signal. Good, at least Xie Zhecheng or Rong Shenghan wouldn't be able to find her.

After yesterday's "minor incident," Xie Zhecheng's gaze towards her always carried a deliberate avoidance, while Rong Shenghan, though having regained her gentleness, always inadvertently closed the distance between them, as if silently declaring something.

Putting aside the undercurrents between these two, the immediate priority is to find the mysterious creature that might have starved him out of the woods.

Yu Jiuyuan followed the faint footprints on the ground. Yuan Xu's hiking boots had special patterns on the soles, leaving clear marks on the damp soil, like a string of silent guides.

She walked slowly, her eyes scanning the plants along the way. This was something Yuan Xu had taught her: to determine direction, one must not only look at the sun, but also at the direction of the tree bark and the density of the moss.

"It really is putting what you've learned into practice." She chuckled softly, her fingertips brushing against the trunk of a pine tree. The moss on the north side was indeed much thicker and denser than that on the south side.

After walking for about half an hour, a slight rustling sound suddenly came from ahead. It wasn't the sound of wind, but more like... the sound of fabric rubbing against grass and trees.

"Yuan Xu?" Yu Jiuyuan slowed her pace and pushed aside the last piece of fern that was blocking her view.

The sight before her made her stop in her tracks.

In a clearing in the woods, Yuan Xu was squatting next to a rock, holding a magnifying glass and staring intently at something in the crevice.

His hair was damp from the mist, with a few strands sticking to his forehead. He didn't even notice his glasses had slipped down to the tip of his nose. His school uniform jacket was casually draped over a nearby tree stump, revealing a thin white shirt underneath. The cuffs were rolled up to his elbows, and his forearms were speckled with mud.

A few steps away from him, a light brown fawn was grazing on the grass.

Its horns hadn't fully grown in yet, only two small protrusions. Its ears twitched occasionally, standing erect warily, but it didn't run away immediately. Its bright black eyes occasionally glanced at Yuan Xu, with a hint of innocent curiosity.

Humans and deer formed a wonderful balance in the misty forest.

Yu Jiuyuan didn't say anything, she just leaned against the tree trunk and watched.

Yuan Xu's profile appeared exceptionally gentle in the mist. Her eyes, which usually held an inquisitive look, were now filled with focus and tenderness, as if the moss before her was more important than anything else in the world.

He even breathed very softly, as if afraid of disturbing the creatures in the cracks of the rocks, or of scaring away the timid deer.

This is Yuanxu. She is almost endearingly oblivious to the complexities of human emotions, yet she can easily reconcile with the creatures of nature.

Looking at Yuan Xu's emotional value on the panel, Yu Jiuyuan suddenly felt that 73 favorability might not be the end.

Winning him over is not like winning over Xie Zhecheng, which requires breaking the rules; nor is it like winning over Rong Shenghan, which requires guessing his intentions; and it's not like winning over Lin Yanran, which requires first smoothing out his arrogance.

Winning over Yuan Xu is more like a long journey together; you have to keep up with his pace, understand the world through his eyes, and then quietly stand beside him.

The fawn seemed to have finally lowered its guard, raising its head and taking half a step towards Yuan Xu.

Yuan Xu then realized something and slowly raised his head. When his gaze fell on the deer, his eyes instantly lit up, like stars that had been ignited.

He didn't move, just remained squatting, even gently placing the magnifying glass on the ground, as if afraid that a single movement would ruin this rare encounter.

The fawn moved closer, its nose twitching as if it were sniffing the air.

Just then, Yuan Xu suddenly turned her head, her gaze landing precisely on the tree trunk where Yu Jiuyuan was hiding. Her voice was very low, but filled with clear excitement: "Yu Jiuyuan, look! It's a roe deer!"

As soon as he spoke, the little deer seemed startled, taking a half step back and staring at him warily.

"Shh—" Yu Jiuyuan came out and gestured for him to be quiet, "Don't scare it."

She knelt down beside Yuan Xu, her movements as light as a feather. For some reason, the fawn's gaze softened as it looked at her, and it didn't back away.

“It’s not a roe deer, it’s a sika deer cub.” Yu Jiuyuan looked at the faint white spots on the fawn’s body and said softly, “Roe deer have sharper antlers and darker fur.”

Yuan Xu was stunned, then her eyes lit up even brighter: "How did you know?"

"I learned a little bit from the forestry consultant at home before," Yu Jiuyuan said, half-jokingly. Actually, she had redeemed "Changbai Mountain Wildlife Guide" from the system shop, but this "just happens to know a little" setting was most effective when dealing with Yuan Xu.

She picked up the magnifying glass that Yuan Xu had placed on the ground and pointed it at the deer's hooves: "Look at its hoof prints, they're smaller than a roe deer's, and..." She suddenly leaned closer to him, their shoulders almost touching, "Its pupils contract into a spindle shape under bright light, just like a cat's, but a roe deer's don't."

A warm breath brushed against Yuan Xu's earlobe, causing him to shrink back as if burned, his cheeks flushing slightly. He didn't look at the deer, but instead stared down at the tips of his shoes, his voice a little muffled: "Oh..."

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!