Why is This Clingy Snow Leopard Acting So Innocent? - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Mango — Do Tropical Fruits Exist on Snow Mountains?

The expected pain of being mauled by a wild beast never came. Still, Su Wen stood frozen, eyes pressed shut and back pinned against the wall, not daring to move an inch.

He remained that way until a fluffy sensation brushed against his fingertips—thick, soft fur that felt slightly cool, likely due to the sub-zero temperatures outside.

He instinctively opened his eyes.

He stood there, stunned.

The snow leopard had lowered its ears and was approaching him with extreme caution, gently nudging his fingertips with its head.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

Su Wen could hear his heart hammering against his ribs, but it clearly wasn’t out of fear. He relaxed his stiff arms, reached out, and tentatively ran his hand over the leopard’s head.

His movements were light and careful, terrified of startling the creature. It was a wild animal, after all; if it decided to take a bite out of him right here, he had nowhere to run. He’d just have to wait for the end.

But the snow leopard simply lifted its head, gazing at him with grayish-green eyes as clear and still as a mountain lake.

Su Wen placed his entire palm on its head. He’s squatted down, using one hand to rub its head while the other gently scratched under its chin. His sister’s fat ginger cat loved being petted like this, and clearly, this leopard was no exception.

The snow leopard thoroughly enjoyed the attention, even letting out a low, vibrating purr every now and then.

Su Wen felt himself melting. If he hadn’t been a “cat person” before—if petting his sister’s cat had just been a casual habit—he was a changed man now. He was a cat person. A big cat person. No, to be precise, he was a snow leopard person.

After a few more pets, the leopard moved its head away and trotted off toward the side of the room. Su Wen stayed in his crouched position, his eyes following its every move, curious about what it was doing.

The leopard’s massive body rounded the chair by the window, its long, fluffy tail sweeping lightly past Su Wen’s face. Once it had moved into position, it pressed its head into the gap beneath the chair’s backrest and slowly nudged the chair toward him.

Then, it pulled its head back and blinked at him.

Su Wen looked at the meal on the chair, which he had only touched once with his chopsticks. After a few seconds of bewilderment, it clicked: it was hungry!

He scrambled up to retrieve his chopsticks from the floor and walked toward the door. He reached for the handle but hesitated. He didn’t want Yun Shu to see the leopard. Yun Shu was a ranger; if he saw this, he’d probably call the station immediately to have the animal removed.

Selfishness flickered in his heart. He wanted to keep the snow leopard to himself.

A few seconds later, he pulled his hand back from the door. He dug a pack of wet wipes out of his suitcase, meticulously cleaned the chopsticks, wiped the floor where they had fallen, and then picked up a piece of beef to offer the leopard.

As he held out the chopsticks, the leopard’s head recoiled slightly.

Su Wen thought the leopard found the chopsticks “dirty” because they had hit the floor. He popped the beef into his own mouth instead and said—not knowing if the animal understood him—”I wiped them with a wet wipe. They’re clean.”

He picked up another piece and offered it, but the leopard still refused to eat.

Su Wen pursed his lips and ate that one too. While chewing, he grumbled, “You eat animal carcasses on the mountain. Those are way dirtier than this. Why are you so picky?”

Besides, the food was actually delicious.

He paused and took another bite. It wasn’t just the beef; the greens and the scrambled eggs were all savory and satisfying. He couldn’t quite identify all the ingredients, but they were excellent. It smelled fragrant, and the taste lived up to the aroma.

After a few more bites, he remembered the leopard beside him. He looked at the creature and asked, his brain seemingly malfunctioning: “Did you eat before you came over?”

The snow leopard let out a low “Awooo.” Su Wen couldn’t tell if that meant “yes” or “no,” but a moment later, the leopard moved around the chair and pressed against his side.

Purring loudly, it nudged Su Wen’s elbow with its head, squeezing itself under his arm and onto his lap. It gave his stomach a gentle nudge before flopping down right there.

Su Wen screamed internally at the gesture but remained outwardly calm, terrified of scaring the animal away. He didn’t know what it wanted, but it wasn’t doing anything aggressive; it seemed to just want to be close to him.

To make the leopard more comfortable, Su Wen sat cross-legged on the floor. With the large leopard head resting on his legs, he caught a faint, warm, pleasant scent. Do animals roaming the wild really smell this good? he wondered. Perhaps snow leopards were cleaner than the average beast.

Su Wen finished the rest of the meal on the chair in a few bites. He had been hungry for so long that he’d stopped feeling the pangs, but as the satisfaction of a full stomach filled him, a strange sense of happiness welled up.

He pushed the chair aside and leaned back against the bed, slumping down in total contentment. The anxiety he’d felt about Zhang Xiaoqian leaving vanished. Ruffling the fluffy head beneath his hand, he thought to himself: If I died right now, I’d be happy enough.

The leopard lay there quietly, occasionally purring. Su Wen leaned down to look at it. Its eyes were closed, and only its ears twitched back now and then.

After spending these few dozen minutes together, Su Wen felt certain the leopard wouldn’t attack him. His courage grew, and he reached out to tease its ears. Before his fingers could touch, the ears flattened into “airplane ears.” He moved to touch the notched tip of its ear, but the ear swiveled around his finger and out of reach.

Su Wen had discovered a strange new hobby.

Ignoring the time or the need for sleep, he sat on the floor, poking the leopard’s forehead, stroking the bridge of its nose, and flicking its ears. The leopard let him play, only occasionally twitching its nose, swishing its tail, or dropping its tail into his hands for him to hold. It was like a giant stuffed toy—an obedient one that delivered itself to his door for petting.

“Su Wen? Why are you spacing out?”

Su Wen snapped back to reality and looked at Cheng Daozhi. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Did you not sleep well last night?”

He looked down. It wasn’t that he hadn’t slept well; on the contrary, it was a rare, deep sleep. He had woken up in the morning to find himself tucked neatly under the blankets, the curtains drawn tight, and not a single leopard on the floor.

It felt like a dream.

However, he reached into his pocket and pressed his fingers against the fur he had collected that morning—several silver-white hairs. The snow leopard really had been there last night. It wasn’t a dream.

“No, I slept fine.”

“Since you don’t have a manager to assist you, pay close attention to the upcoming safety notes and work details. Try not to zone out, and watch your step.”

“Understood.”

They were currently on the mountainside of Songcuo Mountain, which was destined to be their primary filming location. This spot was chosen because, despite the lower altitude, infrared cameras showed the highest frequency of snow leopard activity here. It was the best place to potentially capture a hunt on film.

Having rested well the night before, he had only needed his portable oxygen tank twice.

The two rangers participating in the shoot served as today’s guides: Yun Shu, a short-term volunteer, and Song Nan, the resident patrol leader. Because the rangers had actual work to do, Yun Shu was the only one assigned to the film crew full-time; the others would join intermittently.

The patrol work wasn’t as difficult as Su Wen had imagined, just a bit tedious. Since the documentary focused on wildlife—specifically snow leopards—most of the filming would be streamlined toward that goal. For him, the work was a minor detail; the real challenge was the act of being filmed itself.

“What’s this?” As he pulled back the curtain to enter the house, Su Wen was drawn to the fruit on the table.

Yun Shu, who was bringing in coal from the courtyard, set the bucket down. “Hm? Don’t you love mangoes? How can you not smell them?”

Su Wen froze. Instead of asking how Yun Shu knew he loved mangoes, he asked something even stranger: “Do tropical fruits grow on snow mountains?”

Yun Shu arched an eyebrow and began to talk nonsense with a perfectly straight face. “Huh? You didn’t know? Deep in these mountains, there is a Sacred Mango Tree. It only fruits once every ten years, and we just happened to get lucky this year.”

The more Su Wen listened, the more ridiculous it sounded. Yun Shu, however, kept going. “These are called ‘Snow Leopard Mangoes.’ Eating them gives you magic powers. It can turn a human into a snow leopard, or a snow leopard into a human.”

“So if you eat it, you’ll turn into a snow leopard?”

Yun Shu winked at him. “Maybe.”

Su Wen couldn’t help but let out a light laugh. “…Childish.”

Yun Shu laughed and headed back out the door. Su Wen realized then that he wasn’t exactly acting mature either.

Out of guilt for ignoring the man yesterday and eating his food while being cold to him, Su Wen decided to sit outside and eat dinner with Yun Shu tonight. He hadn’t eaten a meal alone with someone in years, and though Yun Shu was essentially a stranger, the experience wasn’t uncomfortable.

When Su Wen finished his last bite, Yun Shu gathered the dirty dishes. He stopped Su Wen from helping. “Go rest over there. I’ll slice the mango.”

Su Wen didn’t leave. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, feeling a bit suspicious. “How did you know I liked mangoes?”

Before Yun Shu could answer, Su Wen added, “Did my sister tell you?”

Yun Shu’s hand, holding the fruit knife, paused for a split second. He let out a very soft sigh and sidestepped the question. “These oversized mangoes are easier to eat if they’re sliced, right?”

“Mm.”

And slicing them keeps the juice from getting everywhere. It’s cleaner.

And you can share them. You can give some to the person you like, making your friendship “castle” even stronger.

So, Brother… who would you give yours to?

I’d give it to you, obviously…

“Ge?”

“Su Wen-ge?”

Su Wen snapped out of his daze, as if only just realizing where he was. He looked up.

Yun Shu was bracing one hand on the counter while the other held a large platter of freshly sliced mangoes, the fragrance filling the air. Seeing Su Wen look over, he tilted his head, looking strangely like a devoted domestic partner.

“Let’s eat outside,” he said.

“Oh,” Su Wen blinked. “Okay.”