Yu Jiuyuan pretended not to notice his lapse in composure and continued, "These calves usually don't stray too far from their mothers, so let's not get too close."

As she was about to get up, Yuan Xu suddenly grabbed her wrist. His fingertips were slightly cool, damp with the scent of earth, and his grip was very light, as if he were afraid of hurting her.

"Wait a minute." He looked up at her, his eyes behind his glasses unusually serious. "How...how did you recognize it as a cub?"

“Look at the size and the sheen of the fur.” Yu Jiuyuan took his fingers in her hand and pulled his hand towards the fawn, maintaining a safe distance.

"Adult sika deer have darker fur, and their antlers are just beginning to develop, so they are clearly not yet adults."

Her fingertips enveloped his, the warm touch transmitting through her skin, and Yuan Xu's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

He looked at their clasped hands, then at Yu Jiuyuan's profile as she focused on explaining, and suddenly felt that the moss in the cracks of the rocks wasn't so interesting after all.

"You..." He opened his mouth, wanting to ask, "How do you know everything?", but he didn't say it.

Yu Jiuyuan then let go of his hand, stood up, and patted the dirt off her pants: "Alright, it's time to go back. If we stay any longer, the doe will come looking for trouble."

She waved the compressed biscuits in her hand. "Also, you need to replenish your energy. Even a biologist can't go against their own stomach."

Yuan Xu then realized that he hadn't eaten anything since morning, and his stomach growled in agreement. He blushed with embarrassment, hurriedly stood up, and tried to put on his coat, but in his haste, he almost threw his glasses off.

Yu Jiuyuan reached out to adjust his glasses, her fingertips brushing against the bridge of his nose: "Slow down, no one's going to take them from you."

"Th-thank you." Yuan Xu's voice was even softer as she followed behind her with her head down.

The fawn had disappeared, probably running back to its mother. The mist in the forest gradually thinned, and sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, casting dappled patterns on the ground.

"That last thing..." Yuan Xu suddenly spoke up, "Did you really learn the difference between roe deer and sika deer from a forestry consultant?"

"Hmm." Yu Jiuyuan turned to look at him and smiled. "What, you don't believe me?"

"No," Yuan Xu quickly waved his hand, "It's just that... you know so much." He paused, his voice lower, "More than me."

“No way.” Yu Jiuyuan slowed her pace and walked alongside him. “I know absolutely nothing about moss. I still don’t understand that ‘lichen symbiosis system’ model you showed me last time.”

She deliberately brought up his area of ​​expertise, and sure enough, Yuan Xu's eyes lit up.

“That’s very simple!” He immediately perked up and began to explain in detail how fungi and algae coexist and survive in extreme environments. His speech was as fast as popping beans, but it was clear and logical, and he exuded a confidence that belonged to his professional field.

Yu Jiuyuan listened quietly, nodding occasionally, or asking at the right time, "Can they survive at minus thirty degrees Celsius?" She always managed to precisely provoke Yuan Xu's desire to share.

She watched as Yuan Xu's positive emotions on the panel quietly rose to 78, and her favorability rating of 73 seemed to be pulsating slightly.

It seems we're not far from the next milestone.

Developing a virgin plant is like cultivating a rare plant. You have to remember its preferred light and humidity, water it when it needs watering, and prune it when it grows wildly. You can't rush it, and you can't stop it.

His world is small, so small that it can only contain cells under a microscope and plants in the forest, yet his world is also vast, vast enough to accommodate all curiosity and love for nature.

What she had to do was become someone who could enter his world, not to disturb him, but to walk alongside him.

"...So, lichens are actually the greatest symbiotic organisms in nature." Yuan Xu finished speaking, then realized she had been talking the whole way, and scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly. "Wasn't that boring?"

"No, it was really interesting," Yu Jiuyuan said sincerely. It was much easier than dealing with Xie Zhecheng's awkwardness and guessing Rong Shenghan's thoughts. "Next time you have a chance, can you tell me more about that model?"

“Okay!” Yuan Xu nodded immediately, her eyes shining like stars. “I’ll go back and organize the information, and I’ll make sure you understand it!”

Seeing his excited expression, Yu Jiuyuan suddenly felt that this "taming" might not be entirely a scheme. At least when facing Yuan Xu, she could feel a long-lost ease, a sense of ease that didn't require her to be so calculating.

When the two reached a place with a signal, Yu Jiuyuan's phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message from Rong Shenghan: "Where are you? President Xie said there's a problem with the observation equipment and he wants you to help him check the parameters."

Yu Jiuyuan raised an eyebrow. Xie Zhecheng would actually ask her for help? The sun must have risen in the west.

She glanced back at Yuan Xu, who was squatting by the roadside studying a small purple flower, his profile showing clean contours in the sunlight.

"I'll go back first. You can find your way yourself, right?"

"Hmm!" Yuan Xu didn't even look up, her fingers lightly touching the petals. "I'll look at this one a little longer; its stigma shape is quite unique..."

Yu Jiuyuan smiled and turned to walk towards the observation deck. The fog had completely dissipated, and the sunlight shone warmly on her.

On the system panel, Yuan Xu's favorability rating had quietly jumped to 75 when she agreed to look at the model. Her positive emotions remained stable at 80, like a plump fruit, hanging there heavily.

Very good. Yu Jiuyuan touched the unfinished compressed biscuits in her pocket, a satisfied smile curving her lips.

On the fifth day at Changbai Mountain, the progress bar moved forward another inch. As for whether the "equipment problem" at the observation station is real or not, and whose ulterior motives are at play, we'll have to go back and check to find out.

The forest breeze carried the scent of pine resin, ruffling her hair. In the distance, Yuan Xu's soft gasp of surprise drifted up; she had probably discovered some new and wondrous creature. Yu Jiuyuan glanced back, only to see a shimmering expanse of green.

She smiled, turned around, and quickened her pace.

This game, which is taking place in Changbai Mountain, is getting more and more interesting.