Why is This Clingy Snow Leopard Acting So Innocent? - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Warmth and Cold — You Can Hold Me

“You…”

Yun Shu tilted his head to look at him.

Su Wen deliberately wore a gentle, kind expression, but it inexplicably came across as a provocation. Yun Shu furrowed his brows and, almost instinctively, curled his lip and bared his teeth, revealing his sharp canines.

The snarl lasted only half a second before he retracted it.

Su Wen froze for a moment, suddenly reminded of that snow leopard that loved to act cute on his bed. Although the leopard had never bared its teeth at him, he imagined it would look exactly like Yun Shu if it did.

Like a kitten.

It was truly adorable.

The irritation from earlier vanished instantly. Su Wen was in a surprisingly good mood now; he reached out and ruffled Yun Shu’s fluffy hair.

Yun Shu twisted his head away to dodge his hand.

“Don’t be mad, don’t be mad,” Su Wen coaxed him with immense patience, pulling a piece of chocolate from his pocket and waving it in front of him. “If you take this, it means you forgive me, okay?”

“Hmph!”

Yun Shu stood up and turned to leave. Su Wen was left dazed for a few seconds before Yun Shu suddenly returned.

Staring straight at him, Su Wen thought he was about to say something significant, but the younger man simply snatched the chocolate from his hand and walked away again.

He didn’t go far, though. He stopped, looked back with a wrong expression, and finished his sentence: “You are really mean.”

Tsk, is he acting spoiled? By the time Su Wen processed it, the man was gone.

As he stood there dazing, a head popped out of the shed—it was Cheng Daozhi’s assistant. “Bro, it’s starting.”

“Okay.”

…

Inside the den, the mother snow leopard began pacing frequently and licking her body, appearing very restless.

Beneath her was a thick layer of dried grass, covered with various animal furs—white, black, and yellow. Even though she was giving birth in the dead of winter, she was well-prepared.

It was currently $-13^circ C$. Temperatures over the last few days had fluctuated between $-15^circ C$ and $-12^circ C$. Any lower, and the survival rate of newborn cubs would drop drastically.

The rescue team had prepared everything, even mapping out a specific climbing route from their spot to the den. Fortunately, the den wasn’t at a very high altitude. The mother leopard was clever; she had chosen a secluded spot with a relatively stable microclimate.

“She looks like she’s in good shape. What do you think, Haicheng?”

On the screen, the leopard had entered labor. The intense pain made her restless, and she licked herself repeatedly to cope. Every eye was glued to the monitors and telescopes, terrified of missing a single reaction.

“She’s doing well. Probably won’t need us,” Song Haicheng replied.

She was a very strong female. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have had to raid human pastures, but pregnancy and winter made survival difficult.

“When did she stop eating?”

“Likely yesterday,” one of the rescuers who had been monitoring for three days answered. “The herder said she killed a sheep the day before yesterday, right? That looks like sheepskin she’s lying on.”

“Oh? That herder is a decent guy.”

Su Wen, who had been watching silently, let out a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed she had successfully taken the sheep.

However, the birth was taking time. The mother leopard kept huddling deeper into the den, huffing to manage the labor pains. Everyone focused solely on her.

Time passed. As it grew dark, telescopes became useless. They had to rely on the networked infrared cameras near the den, though the view inside the burrow remained grainy.

While the others crowded around the laptops, Yun Shu sat alone, staring through a telescope.

Su Wen looked out into the pitch-black mountain range—there wasn’t even moonlight. Confused, he leaned in and nudged Yun Shu’s head aside to look through the lens.

Nothing. Just darkness, with the occasional blurry movement.

He looked at Yun Shu skeptically. “Are you performing performance art?”

The wind had picked up. Despite the tent’s protection, it was freezing. Su Wen retreated into his scarf, blinking. “I can see,” Yun Shu said, scooting closer to sit right against him.

Yun Shu’s body temperature was high, like a furnace.

“Sure, sure, you can see.” Su Wen humored him. Everyone has their pride; he had to protect the “kid’s” self-esteem.

The wind roared, shaking the tent and causing the hanging light to sway. Su Wen, shivering so hard his voice trembled, leaned further into Yun Shu.

“Do you kids… who grow up in the mountains… naturally have higher body temperatures than everyone else?”

Yun Shu was remarkably quick on the uptake. In the $-15^circ C$ weather, he unzipped his jacket and bared his chest toward Su Wen. “If you’re cold, you can hold me.”

“?”

Su Wen instinctively looked around. No one was there; they were all in the infrared monitoring shed. Normally they could have joined them, but this tent housed equipment worth five figures that couldn’t fit elsewhere, so someone had to stay.

Yun Shu had volunteered, and Su Wen, wanting to avoid the crowd, stayed too.

Su Wen quickly reached out and zipped Yun Shu’s jacket back up. “Careful you don’t freeze to death.”

“I’m not afraid of the cold.”

Idiot. Su Wen was speechless. He wrapped his own scarf around Yun Shu. “Fine, fine, you’re not afraid of the cold, you’re just crazy.”

“Really,” Yun Shu offered his hand. “I’m really not.”

Su Wen, half-doubting, took his hand. Warmth immediately surged through his palm into his body. It wasn’t the scorching heat of a fire, but a gentle, soothing warmth.

He suddenly remembered the night he had woken up to find himself holding Yun Shu in his sleep. It had been embarrassing, but incredibly warm.

“You might be a human heat pack,” Su Wen whispered.

Yun Shu looked at him. “You can hold me.”

Su Wen dazed for a second, finding it strangely amusing. He looked at Yun Shu, feeling the constant flow of warmth. “Who did you learn that from?”

Yun Shu adjusted the telescope, replying casually, “We used to huddle together for warmth all the time.”

“Hmm?” Su Wen realized. “With the person you like?”

“Yes.”

“…”

…

Buzz. A notification on Su Wen’s phone. It was a message from Cheng Daozhi. Simultaneously, Yun Shu spoke: “The cubs are born.”

Su Wen looked out at the darkness, shocked. He was certain Yun Shu hadn’t seen his phone. Can he really see in the dark?

He didn’t have time to dwell on it. He followed Yun Shu to the next tent. The atmosphere there was jubilant but hushed to avoid disturbing the leopard.

On the screen, amidst the night and light snow, the mother leopard looked exhausted. Over five hours, she had birthed two cubs. She was curled up, and the two tiny leopards were huddled against her belly for warmth, their coats already licked clean.

Su Wen asked, “Should we leave some food for her?”

“Not yet,” Lin Zhihuan said. “Let’s observe for another day or two to evaluate her condition. Feeding her now would be over-interference.”

…

The camp was well-prepared with snow walls and high-tech sleeping bags rated for $-20^circ C$, but Su Wen was still freezing. He deeply regretted coming to the mountain. He curled up in his bag, trying to stay warm.

Everyone else seemed asleep, but Su Wen heard a zipper. Yun Shu was opening his sleeping bag.

“You…” Su Wen whispered, “It’s freezing!”

Ignoring him, Yun Shu reached over and unzipped Su Wen’s bag as well. Before Su Wen could protest, Yun Shu had zipped the two bags together.

Yun Shu didn’t say a word. He simply moved over and pulled Su Wen firmly into his embrace.

Thump-thump.

Thump-thump.

Su Wen’s heart hammered against his ribs.

“Still cold?” Yun Shu whispered into his ear.

The warmth was intoxicating. Su Wen caught a very faint scent from him, like the smell of sunlight. Feeling drowsy and uncoordinated, Su Wen asked a strange question: “Is this how you two used to sleep together?”

Yun Shu’s heart visibly faltered. He tightened his grip as if afraid Su Wen would run. “Is it uncomfortable?”

“…You’re a psycho…”