"Singer Y, someone just contacted me and s-s-said…" Chen Xiaoyan breathed laboriously, unable to speak clearly. It was obvious that she was still in shock. "They asked me to...take part in the Spring Festival Gala."

"Congratulations."

"Also, they mentioned that...you recommended me?" Chen Xiaoyan continued with a question.

"You can say that."

"I-I-I…" Chen Xiaoyan was blabbering due to her excitement and was at a loss for words. Ye Lingchen heard her voice teetering on the edge of crying.

"Alright, alright. It's just the Spring Festival Gala. Do you need to be so worked up over it?" Ye Lingchen consoled.

"It's the Spring Festival Gala!" Chen Xiaoyan cried, her voice immediately turning hoarse. "To take part in the Spring Festival Gala is something to be proud of for life. I-I-I never even dared to dream of going to the Spring Festival Gala."

"This is why they say life is filled with surprises. You better get ready and don't embarrass yourself at the Spring Festival Gala," Ye Lingchen replied with a chuckle.

"Mm, I'll do my best!" Chen Xiaoyan guaranteed in a serious tone. "You presented me with such an opportunity and even wrote a song for me. I'm really grateful. Thank you…"

By then, Chen Xiaoyan had already burst into tears and was no longer coherent.

Previously, she had always thought that fate had treated her unfairly. She had the looks and the talent, yet she would be picked on by everyone. They were all trying to take advantage of her. At first, she thought that would be her downfall, but she got to know Ye Lingchen and her fate had changed ever since.

She felt that Ye Lingchen was the biggest surprise fate bestowed on her. Time and time again, her world filled with darkness would be chased away. Her favorite song was the first song Ye Lingchen presented to her, Chaser of the Light.

"Can I follow behind you, like a shadow following light. We would travel. I can wait at this street and I don't care if you'd pass me by…"

After ending the call, Chen Xiaoyan could not resist humming the song. More tears came as she hummed. After that, her gaze slowly turned into a resolved one. She must not disappoint Ye Lingchen's painstaking efforts…

"Another woman," Dong Miaomiao looked disdainfully at Ye Lingchen, huffing indignantly.

"Xiaoyan? Spring Festival Gala? Could it be that celebrity? You're being so chummy." Hao Yun stared at Ye Lingchen, judging him, then took on a disgusted look. "Ptooi, scumbag!"

Ye Lingchen rubbed his nose and ignored them. He quietly stood up and walked into the deeper parts of the forest.

Hao Yun saw Ye Lingchen walking away without even looking back, then opened her mouth to ask out of curiosity, "Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm going further in to have a look," Ye Lingchen replied with a casual wave of his hand.

"Deeper into the forest?" Hao Yun stood up and quickly followed along. "Bring me."

"I'm coming too." Dong Miaomiao unhesitantly tagged along.

In an instant, they forgot about ignoring Ye Lingchen just a second ago.

While they chatted, the three slowly ventured into the forest.

Every night, beast howls would come from the deeper parts of the island. It would seem that there were other beasts apart from the pack of wolves. However, Ye Lingchen had no fear. Normally, the two girls would definitely not dare to venture in, but with Ye Lingchen around, they felt an indescribable sense of security.

Ye Lingchen led the two girls and took the front. In these situations, the two girls walk and stop intermittently as they talk. They were filled with a sense of wonder, occasionally stopping by the path and taking pictures as though they were on vacation.

The island was located in the northern region of China and naturally had mountainous terrains. Although it was not a grand sight, it was approximately 30 to 40 meters tall. Moreover, it was all connected. Looking at it from a distance, it ran on and on, seemingly forever.

Mountainous regions were not suitable for development as they had natural forests.

"This can be considered as the hills of the island."

The hills were relatively untouched by humans; the foliage was dense and had no trails. Tall grass, branches, and vines filled the surrounding area. Ye Lingchen was leading the way, swinging his blade to clear a path of branches and vines to make it easier for the two girls behind to follow.

If not for the two burdens, he could totally use Tarzan's method and swing through the trees.

"There are quite a lot of wild fruits in these hills. No wonder there are so many animals around," Ye Lingchen said as he cleared the path.

The plants and animals grew quite well—as expected of a paradise.

Along the way, he had even come across quite a number of medicinal herbs. Although they were not considered precious, they were not common either. Most importantly, it was a wild strain.

He quietly marked down the location. The next time he comes by, he would move these medicinal herbs to his herb field.

"Will there really be a lot of animals?" Hao Yun and Dong Miaomiao scanned the area around them. Ye Lingchen pointed at the direction of a tree and said, "Take a look at that."

Following the direction he pointed at, they saw that a small head carefully peeking out behind a tree, curiously checking them out.

"Wow, it's a squirrel!"

"That side too. Such a small squirrel! So agile!"

The squirrels quickly climbed higher, possibly because they had been discovered.

The two girls were discussing excitedly about catching a squirrel home as a pet. Suddenly, Dong Miaomiao noticed some animal excrement near her legs in the grass. She asked, "Huh? This looks like rabbit droppings, doesn't it?"

Ye Lingchen took a look, then nodded. "That's right. It's rabbit droppings. It's not rare for rabbits to be found here. The plants are flourishing and people don't come by. Wild rabbits and pheasants are definitely plentiful. Did you forget that you've had quite a bit of pheasant meat lately?"

"How come I've never had rabbit meat?" Dong Miaomiao could not resist asking.

"Rabbits are cunning and alert. It's not easy to stumble across them." Ye Lingchen laughed. "If you really want to eat that, I'll let Little Green and Little Grey know. It's not too difficult to catch it."

"Rabbits are so cute. How dare you think of eating them. Remember to bring me along when the time comes," Hao Yun immediately interjected, wiping the saliva from her mouth.

Just as they were chatting, they ran into a pheasant running about in the shrubs ahead.

"Ah...sigh...why did it run away?"

Hao Yun lamented loudly. The pheasant had run off after hearing their loud conversation.

"So pheasants can fly. If that's the case, then we can't catch them." Dong Miaomiao stared helplessly as the pheasant flapped its wing and flew away.

Ye Lingchen's expression remained unchanged. "That was a bamboo partridge."

"What's a bamboo partridge?"

Since Dong Miaomiao asked, Ye Lingchen answered, "It's a type of wild bird commonly found in mountains, shrublands, grasslands, bamboo groves, and similar places in flocks. Not only do they look pretty, but they also taste exquisite too. Their meat is tender and much more flavorful than regular chickens. They're definitely the choicest delicacy in the hills. These wild ones would go for at least one thousand each in the market."

He did not feel disappointed at all. If he wanted to, even a hundred bamboo partridges would not manage to escape from him.

They continued forward. The journey became increasingly difficult as they were forging a new path. The road was filled with so much overgrown grass that Ye Lingchen had to stop once in a while to clear away. It could not be helped. The two behind him were weak girls who could not be depended on for heavier work.

"Such a gentleman and so capable at the same time. That explains the flirting. What a disaster," Dong Miaomiao could not resist commenting.

Ye Lingchen rolled his eyes and wanted to get back at her using her own words, but he held it in.

While he was clearing the path, Ye Lingchen had noticed quite a number of good plants. Japanese honeysuckle, eagle fern, and even wild tea plants. These could similarly be replanted into his own garden.

Japanese honeysuckle had cooling properties. If infused in water, it worked well as a cooling and detoxifying drink. The wild tea plants could also be made into tea, allowing him to plan for another tea garden in the future.

As long as they had value, Ye Lingchen would move them into his territory.

"Wow, it's Asteroidea. So beautiful and fragrant!"

Along the way, the smile on the two girl's faces never diminished. They were like happy little girls, lowering their heads to smell the Asteroidea. When they felt like it, they would not forget to take a few beautiful pictures...