Chapter 1: Stealing the Little Snow Leopard

Chapter 1: Stealing the Snow Leopard Cub

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out, echoing across the Helan Mountains.

In the moment she collapsed, Lin Xiao saw the police officers rushing up to subdue the poachers.

As her consciousness gradually faded, the snow leopard cub she had been shielding in her arms let out a mournful cry, anxiously rubbing its head against her face.

She opened her mouth, but before she could utter a single word, she plunged into darkness.

...

On a desolate grassland, a large truck rumbled along.

In the dim cargo hold, Lin Xiao’s brows were tightly furrowed, her head aching as if it were about to explode.

Hundreds of scenes flooded her mind, and countless voices played in her head, more annoying than the buzzing of flies.

"Lin Xiao, it’s your good fortune that President Li has taken a liking to you. Don't be ungrateful. Don't forget whose territory this is!"

"Do you believe me if I say I can ruin your reputation and leave you with no place in the entertainment industry?"

"Good grief, she can't sing or dance, yet she spends all day stepping on our group. Where did this 'royal' come from?"

"Clout-chaser, she’s practically glued to our brother. Without others, can't you walk on your own, 'Princess' Lin?"

"666, she made our sister wait for three hours at the event. The backer behind this 'Madwoman Lin' is really something else."

...

No, that’s not me!

It’s not!

Her consciousness snapped back, and Lin Xiao sat up abruptly.

Breathing rapidly, she calmed herself for a long while before finally accepting the reality.

She had transmigrated.

The original owner was named Lin Xiao, a D-list celebrity.

She was an unlucky soul who had accidentally witnessed poachers stealing a snow leopard at a variety show filming site, only to be knocked unconscious by a rifle butt and dragged away.

Come to think of it, she should thank the poachers for that blow; it was what gave her the chance to transmigrate here.

But these poachers were people who valued money over their lives. They were armed, and their methods were increasingly ruthless.

Her neck still ached from that blow.

Lin Xiao rubbed the back of her neck and turned to survey her surroundings.

She had to find a way to escape quickly, otherwise... it was hard to say if she would keep her life once they reached their superiors.

Just as she was about to stand up, a milky, high-pitched cry for help reached her ears.

"Let me out! Help!"

Immediately after, there was a clattering sound of collisions.

Lin Xiao paused, whipped her head around, and looked at the large box covered with a black cloth in the corner of the cargo hold...

No, it was an iron cage.

In her past life, she had rescued animals being trafficked by poachers from cages like these more than once.

But this time...

These people were too bold—they actually dared to kidnap a human?!

Weren't they here for the snow leopard?

Before she passed out, she had seen it clearly.

The large snow leopard was lying on the mountainside, the blood flowing from the wound on its right hind leg staining the earth beneath it.

Why would they suddenly attack a person?

Then again, the person inside might just be another unlucky soul like her.

Driven by a sense of shared misfortune, Lin Xiao resolutely turned back and walked toward the cage behind her.

Lifting a corner of the black cloth, she was about to say hello when she was caught off guard by a pair of blue eyes.

The words she was about to speak stuck in her throat.

A... a snow leopard?

Then what was the voice she heard just now?

Before she could react, that milky, high-pitched voice rang out again.

"Bad human!"

"Let me out!"

The snow leopard cub in the cage glared at her viciously.

If not for the cage blocking the way, she would have undoubtedly lunged forward to bite her throat.

But... how could she understand what the snow leopard was saying?

The cub in front of her was grumbling, causing the cage to rattle with a *clack-clack* sound.

Lin Xiao tentatively spoke up, "Don't be agitated. I'm not like those people; I'm here to help you."

"Liar!"

"I saw it. It was you two-legged beasts who hurt my mother."

"You're all bad people!"

"Bad people!"

The whimpering cries were heartbreaking.

As a former forest ranger who had personally cared for snow leopards, Lin Xiao felt an unbearable ache in her heart.

"Don't cry!" Lin Xiao quickly tried to soothe it.

Suddenly, the snow leopard's cries stopped for a split second.

Its icy blue eyes looked at the two-legged beast in front of it in disbelief.

"You... you can actually understand me?"

Lin Xiao spread her hands helplessly. "Isn't that obvious?"

"I really want to help you. Look, I'm just like you now, locked up here."

"When there's a chance, I'll take you with me to escape."

Seeing the dark iron box behind Lin Xiao, the snow leopard cub’s furry face showed a look of contemplation.

The two-legged beast seemed to be telling the truth.

She was locked in this small cage, and this two-legged beast was locked in a larger one.

"Really?" The cub looked at her with eyes still full of caution, confirming once more.

"Really!" Lin Xiao nodded very seriously. "I promise!"

The snow leopard cub huffed twice and finally nodded slightly.

Although she didn't want to admit it, the aura around this two-legged beast was truly very comforting.

So, she would be generous and trust her once.

Before Lin Xiao could say anything else, the moving truck suddenly came to a stop.

Lin Xiao’s heart tightened, and she looked outside sharply.

Accompanied by the sound of a door slamming, two rough voices rang out from outside.

"Boss, our haul this time is not small! The boss will be very happy when he sees it; the reward this time definitely won't be small."

"Don't worry! It definitely won't be small for you. Get people to move the cargo off the truck first, and wait for the boss to come and inspect it."

"You got it!"

Lin Xiao’s expression changed slightly as she heard them walking toward the cargo hold.

She quickly lowered her voice, told the snow leopard cub to be careful, and lay back down in her original spot.

Almost the moment she lay down, the heavy cargo door was pushed open with a *clang*.

Several men rushed in, making quick work of things.

"Yo, why is there such a pretty little chick here?"

"Boss, is this a bonus for us?"

The man addressed as "Boss" had a rough voice, his tone full of disdain.

"Go on, get lost!"

"This little girl is a celebrity. Old San and I accidentally got spotted by this girl when we were working. You lot better behave yourselves; this girl has to wait for the boss to decide her fate."

"I’m warning you all to behave. If you anger the boss and lose your lives, don't blame me for not warning you."

The group sighed with great regret.

Lying there, Lin Xiao quietly let out a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness!

At least there was someone among these desperate criminals who could keep them in check.

The group scrambled to move the cage and Lin Xiao into the house.

Leaving only two people to keep watch, the rest gathered in groups of three or five to go outside and drink.

Only when the room fell silent did Lin Xiao quietly open her eyes.

The surrounding mud walls were dilapidated and crumbling; it was clearly a remote place far from human habitation.

Regardless, she had to escape first!

Lin Xiao climbed up, pulled a U-shaped hairpin from her hair, and walked straight toward the large iron cage in the room, attempting to pick the lock.

It was fortunate that she had been participating in a show today and had plenty of hairpins on her; if it were any other time, she really wouldn't have known what to do about this large iron cage!