Why is This Clingy Snow Leopard Acting So Innocent? - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Snow Leopard, What is Your Name?

Crossing Songcuo Mountain leads to Sare Village, a place legendary for being protected by snow leopards.

As the crow flies, Sare Village is 40 kilometers away. But with the winding mountain roads, that distance doubles, and in a standard SUV, the trek takes at least four hours.

The original plan was to arrive at the ranger station this morning, get a basic briefing on the work, rest, and officially start filming the next day. However, upon arriving in Xiping, the combination of exhaustion and high-altitude oxygen deprivation quickly took Su Wen down. He had to find a local clinic and rest for a full night to recover.

As soon as he regained his strength, he ignored his manager’s protests and rushed into the mountains to catch up with the schedule.

They had originally rented a “Blade” off-roader, and the rental agency had provided a driver experienced in mountain terrain. But because they missed their appointment, the driver and the car left with a higher-paying tour group. With the extra tip for acting as a guide, the driver made significantly more than he would have just driving them. Anyone would have made that choice.

“Don’t give me that ‘washed-up star’ talk. Even if the King of Heaven himself showed up, that driver would still be gone with us,” the tour group had argued.

“Is this our fault?”

“Didn’t you guys stand him up first?”

After a thirty-minute standoff with the tour group, Su Wen was the first to compromise. He cut off his manager’s bickering and led him away. Ultimately, they only managed to rent a Volkswagen SUV. They were told the driver was of the same caliber as the one they booked, but Su Wen didn’t care as long as it moved. He didn’t want to waste any more time; securing tomorrow’s shoot was the priority.

Given the time crunch, his manager, Zhang Xiaoqian, started discussing the film on the road, handing him a makeshift A4-sized booklet.

He was filming a documentary about snow mountains and snow leopards. It had a nice title: It Comes from the Snowy Peak. After being rejected by major directors for eight consecutive months, Director Cheng Daozhi had offered him a lifeline by sending him this script.

“The main focus is deep observation of the snow leopard. You’ll be the ‘Witness Officer,’ joining the patrol team. You need to be able to endure hardships,” Zhang said. “Don’t leave them with the impression that you aren’t serious. And…” He paused, looking hesitant. “You need to fix your sense of the camera.”

Su Wen gave a quiet “mm.” It was the truth.

Ever since he lost out on the Golden Dragon Award, every director he worked with said the same thing: “Why is Su Wen so unphotogenic now?” or “Why are you always dodging the lens?” It was as if they had all conspired together.

It wasn’t a minor issue, but he hadn’t found a solution. He’d taken medicine, seen specialists, and taken vacations. Yet, the scripts from directors and writers had stopped coming.

“Are there lines to memorize?” He flipped through the booklet. Besides local geography, culture, and patrol duties, there was nothing else.

This project felt random. Su Wen, who had always lived as a film actor, never imagined filming a documentary, let alone on a snow mountain.

“No,” Zhang Xiaoqian said. “The requirement is ‘natural.’ Just be yourself. What to say and what not to say will probably be told to us on-site. It’s a documentary, after all; it’s about authenticity.”

Su Wen put the booklet aside. He had flipped through it dozens of times before it even arrived; he could practically recite it. He crossed his arms and lowered his head to rest.

A few kilometers in, as the car rounded a sharp rocky bend, it suddenly skidded.

SCREECH—!

The piercing sound of brakes lasted thirty seconds. The car finally stopped after hitting a roadside guardrail post. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

“Wen-ge! Wen-ge! Are you okay?!” Zhang Xiaoqian panicked the moment he recovered.

Su Wen didn’t have much of a reaction. He waved a hand, said “I’m fine,” and opened the door to get out.

Standing by the guardrail, his heart began to pound violently and his stomach churned. Luckily, he hadn’t eaten much, so he managed to suppress the urge to vomit. He fished a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one with a cheap, two-yuan windproof lighter. As the smoke rose, his floating, disconnected feeling finally settled.

His palm was marked with deep indentations where his fingernails had dug in during the skid. He ignored them and put the lighter away.

By the time the cigarette was finished, Su Wen had returned to normal. He turned to Zhang Xiaoqian, who was walking toward him.

“Ge, this car is too old. I think the engine is shot. We need to call for a tow,” Zhang said, pausing. “But the rescue station is nearly a hundred kilometers away. It’ll take four or five hours. I’m worried…”

Su Wen didn’t want to wait. If they waited that long, they wouldn’t reach the station until after midnight, delaying the shoot by another two days.

“Contact the ranger station,” Su Wen interrupted. “See if they can send a vehicle.”

He turned back to the scenery. Before him was a 60-degree slope. It was late autumn, and the vegetation was sparse—just rocks and withered grass, a bleak mix of gray and yellow.

Just as he was about to look away, a rock about ten meters away suddenly moved.

Su Wen froze for two seconds, then leaned forward to see clearly. He didn’t have to wait long. An instant later, a fluffy head popped up from behind a rock less than two meters away.

Silver-gray fur. Black spots.

It was a snow leopard.

He had never seen such a beautiful creature—vivid fur, a lithe body, and a spine that mimicked the rolling ridges of Songcuo Mountain. Looking closely, he noticed a notch missing from its right ear—a badge of honor from some past battle.

Its grayish-green eyes locked onto his. Su Wen’s heart skipped a beat, feeling as though every dark corner of his soul was being peered into.

“Ge, the station said…”

Zhang Xiaoqian’s voice sounded from behind. In the second Su Wen’s attention shifted, the snow leopard vanished into the rocks.

Su Wen turned back, feeling a sense of loss.

“The station’s two off-roaders are out in the mountains,” Zhang continued. “I called Director Cheng, and she said we can borrow a vehicle from the protection center, but it’ll take two or three hours to get here.”

Su Wen stood there, stuck. “Is everyone on this road going to Sare Village?” he asked the driver.

“Mostly,” the driver replied in a thick local accent. “Unless they’re crossing two more mountains to go somewhere else.”

“Let’s wait,” Su Wen told Zhang. “See if we can catch a ride.”

As if summoned by his words, a small pickup truck appeared in the distance. The driver went back to the car to wait for the tow, while Su Wen stood his ground, feeling too embarrassed to flag down the truck. But surprisingly, the pickup stopped right next to them without being asked.

A tall young man with long legs hopped out of the driver’s seat. The mountain wind blew his silver-gray hair high into the air, making him look like a gust of wind sweeping through the mountains.

He turned to them with a bright smile and spoke in standard Mandarin: “What happened to you guys?”

Su Wen’s heart began to race inexplicably, but he forced himself to stay composed.

“We skidded and we’re waiting for rescue,” Zhang Xiaoqian explained, stepping forward.

“Oh,” the young man nodded thoughtfully. “Going to Sare Village?”

“Yes!”

“Then hop in. I’ll take you.”

“You’re going to Sare Village too?”

“I’m a ranger there. I can drop you off on my way.”

He seemed like a good person, but Zhang Xiaoqian was wary of anyone with “weird” hair colors. He looked at Su Wen: “Should we go, Ge?”

Su Wen snapped out of his daze and met the man’s gentle gaze. He hesitated, scanning the man from head to toe. “You… are a ranger?”

“Of course,” the man grinned, pulling out two IDs from his pocket. “I’m certified.”

One was a work ID, the other a government ID. The photo matched: silver-gray hair, tanned skin, sharp features, and a touch of wildness.

His name was Yun Shu.

Yun Shu? Su Wen looked up. The young man had an unreadable smile on his face but said nothing.

Su Wen handed back the IDs. “We’re here to film a documentary,” he said carefully.

“I know,” Yun Shu nodded. “The superiors mentioned it.”

Su Wen looked at the surrounding desolate mountains. If they didn’t arrive tonight, it would jeopardize the shoot. But he couldn’t afford another accident. Sensing his worry, the man took out his phone and made a call.

A few seconds later, he handed the phone to Su Wen. It was Director Cheng Daozhi.

“Just go with Yun Shu,” she said, sounding busy. “He’s a ranger at the station.”

That settled it. Zhang Xiaoqian immediately started loading luggage into the pickup.

“Wait,” the young man stopped him. “I only have room for one person. The back is full of supplies for the villagers, and there’s no room for luggage.”

“Maybe you two should discuss who goes?”

Indeed, the bed of the truck and the back seats were piled high with goods. Only the passenger seat was empty.

Without hesitation, Su Wen pulled out his phone and transferred 3,000 yuan to Zhang Xiaoqian. “You stay here and wait for the tow. I’ll go ahead.”

“Wait, Ge…” Zhang tried to protest for safety’s sake, but Su Wen was already in the truck. “At least send me your location periodically!”

Su Wen agreed, and Yun Shu drove off. Within two turns, Zhang Xiaoqian was out of sight.

Yun Shu pulled a small desktop-style trash bin from the side of the door. “Throw your cigarette butt in here,” he said. “You’ve been gripping it this whole time. Trying to save a final puff?”

He was clearly trying to be funny, but Su Wen didn’t laugh. He just dropped the butt in and muttered, “Thanks.”

Su Wen intended to stay silent for the rest of the trip, but Yun Shu had other ideas. After glancing at Su Wen several times, he finally asked, “Are you that movie star?”

Su Wen didn’t want to answer, so he replied quite rudely: “You seem a bit too familiar for a stranger.”

Yun Shu chuckled, seemingly unoffended. “Maybe we’re already familiar.”

He stopped talking after that, and the car fell into a long silence. Su Wen began to feel awkward, so he eventually asked, “Are you a local?”

“Doesn’t my ID say so?” Yun Shu smiled again, his eyes full of teasing. “Afraid I’m tricking you?”

Su Wen looked out the window at the endless mountain ridges. “No. I just thought your Mandarin was very standard.”

“I had good teachers.”

“I see.”

“Have you been here before?”

“…No.”

Yun Shu glanced at him but didn’t push further.

The car entered a flatter road as they reached the village. The snow mountains behind them acted as a natural barrier for this sparsely populated place. Years ago, people here couldn’t leave, and outsiders couldn’t enter.

Yun Shu pointed to the nearest snowy peak. “There’s a beautiful lake over there.”

“Mm.”

“I used to go there all the time with a good friend,” he said. “I can take you later. After all…”

Su Wen didn’t respond. He didn’t want to hear more, so he diverted the topic. “How much longer?”

“About ten minutes.”

The man was an expert driver. Despite the winding roads, the ride was steady. He made the two-hour trip in just over one hour. The sun hadn’t fully set yet; they could still see herders driving yaks in the distance.

Sare Village was large in land mass, but the houses were spaced far apart. For the rest of the drive, Yun Shu remained quiet, though he frequently glanced toward Su Wen—it was hard to tell if he was looking at him or the side mirror.

Ten minutes later, the car stopped in front of a house that looked like any other. If not for the pillar engraved with “Xiping Resident Ranger Station at Sare Village,” Su Wen might have thought he’d been kidnapped.

“We’re here.”

Su Wen got out and turned to Yun Shu. “Give me your QR code. I’ll pay you for the ride.”

Yun Shu grinned. “So generous?”

He didn’t refuse and pulled out his phone. Su Wen scanned it, but instead of a payment prompt, he saw a personal profile and an “Add Friend” button.

He froze and looked up. Yun Shu quickly pulled his phone back and restarted the engine, unable to hide the glint of amusement in his eyes.

“Don’t forget to transfer it to me later!”