Chapter 39: 39 Take Ice Cake for a Walk
"Ahhh, Ice Cake is so adorable, my heart is melting!"
"Hahaha, the zookeeper hasn't been with the cub for so long, Ice Cake doesn't recognize you anymore!"
"The way Ice Cake snuggles into the embrace is so cute; I really want to pick Ice Cake up and give it kisses and cuddles!"
"Miss is very gentle and beautiful!"
"She's the zookeeper's assistant; she's appeared in a few previous live streams."
"Zookeeper, does Miss still lack a boyfriend? No offense, just purely want to help take care of Ice Cake/cute"
"She still adores the little tiger..."
Fang Ye pursed his lips; these netizens were clearly seasoned members of the fan club.
He handed his phone to Lan Li so she could help with the filming.
He bent down and gently picked up Ice Cake.
As soon as Ice Cake was lifted, it was a bit scared and called out softly, "Ah~ Ah~," almost like it was calling for its mom.
However, as Fang Ye held it and gently scratched its chin, it quickly stopped panicking and settled down.
This... this scent, this familiar technique, it's Daddy!
Ice Cake wriggled in his arms to find a comfortable position and even stretched out its tongue to lick his palm.
Fang Ye raised his eyebrows and smiled smugly at the camera, "See, who says Ice Cake doesn't remember me? It's still very affectionate towards me, isn't it!"
awsl, envy, feeling sour... A string of comments zipped past.
"Lan Li, let's go, take Ice Cake out for a walk!"
"Oh!"
The weather outside was nice today, with a bit of drizzle having just passed. Although the ground was mostly dry, the air still retained a hint of moisture, making it cool and refreshing and greatly lifting spirits.
Outside the office building, Fang Ye put Ice Cake down on the ground.
This was its first time coming out to play!
Ice Cake's paws stepped on the ground tiles, looking somewhat puzzled.
The hardness of the ground was so different from the semi-soft mats in the nursery!
The rain-drenched tiles were still slightly cool, which was a very novel sensation for it.
It crouched down, cautiously taking a small step.
Fang Ye crouched some distance ahead, encouragingly said, "Ice Cake, don't be afraid, come here! Daddy's here!"
"Ah~"
Ice Cake perked up its ears and called out softly.
As a cub just over ten days old, faced with the new world outside, feeling the breeze on its fluffy fur, it had a mix of timidness about the unknown, a desire to explore and a lively spirit wanting to play.
Ice Cake was by nature more curious and playful.
That familiar figure was not too far away, calling out with a kind voice.
This gave it a sense of security.
Carefully pressing low, it approached Fang Ye step by step slowly.
"Puff puff" it snorted noisily, like the rattling valve of a pressure cooker, unsure if it was from excitement or fear.
The two-meter distance, it took over ten seconds to cover.
Lifting its head, those pure blue eyes looked up, as if to say, see how impressive I am!
"Very good!"
Fang Ye affectionately scratched Ice Cake's chin, and Ice Cake, rewarded by the praise and touch, squinted its eyes and happily rubbed its cheek against his palm!
The netizens were excited like parents witnessing their child ace an exam!
"Ahh, the way small tiger walks is so cute!"
"It's too adorable, oh my gosh!"
"Haha, this coquettish behavior, it really shows that tigers are also cats!"
"I feel like Ice Cake is growing so quickly; just last week its legs were still wobbly and it would fall after a few steps, but now it can walk this far in one go!"
"55555 I also want to raise one, what should I do! Where can I adopt a tiger?"
Fang Ye took a few more steps forward, stepping onto the lawn, and laughed, "Ice Cake, come play on the grass!"
After completing the walk just now, Ice Cake became much braver, and its lively nature started to come out.
Wiggling its little butt, it walked over shakily.
As it sped up, its steps would become unsteady because its legs couldn't fully straighten out yet.
However, there was a 10 cm high step at the edge of the lawn!
Almost as high as its legs.
For Ice Cake, it was a somewhat challenging obstacle.
But one that could be overcome!
It placed its paws on the edge of the step, and with a push from its hind legs, the front half of its body made it over.
However, when its hind legs also tried to get over, they missed the edge and it stumbled.
A minor misstep was no big deal, and it safely made it across.
Lan Li watched nervously from behind; when she saw Ice Cake get over the step, she finally relaxed, patted her chest, and exhaled deeply.
"Hahaha, its legs aren't even as tall as the step!"
"Ahhh, its short legs are so cute!"
"Save me, I can't take it, it's too adorable!"
The watery blue sky was graced with loosely twined white clouds, as the golden warmth of the Sunshine spilled across the lawn. Fang Ye lay sprawled out in a spread-eagled posture, with the White Tiger squinting its eyes, comfortably nestling by his side, and the grass blades fluttered slightly—a scene as if lifted from a painting, beautiful and harmonious.
"So beautiful, so wonderful!"
"I feel healed."
Watching this scene, the viewers couldn't help but feel laid-back and relaxed, leaving behind the fatigue and troubles of work and study. For a moment, there were even fewer comments, as they simply quietly admired the view.
They also imagined themselves lying on the lawn with the White Tiger's company, their thoughts drifting into the sky.
After resting for a moment, Fang Ye sat up.
He glanced at Ice Cake and smiled.
It had fallen asleep!
Gently picking it up, he affectionately pinched its ears, "Little tigers really love to sleep! They spend most of their day sleeping, eating, then sleeping again after eating."
Ice Cake half-opened its eyes in his arms, blinking hazily, Dad, who are you talking about?
Fang Ye looked at the camera, "Let's go, we're going to introduce Ice Cake to Jiaojiao!"
The viewers awaited with anticipation, yet some were worried.
"I wonder if Jiaojiao will like Ice Cake? What if she doesn't and attacks Ice Cake?"
"I've heard that tigers even eat their own offspring, let alone someone else's."
"Ah, isn't there a saying 'tigers do not eat their cubs'?"
"Relax, the zookeeper is the Urban Archdruid, what animal won't listen to him?"
"Exactly, no need to worry at all."
Lan Li held up the phone and said, "Zookeeper, the viewers are worried about whether it's safe for Jiaojiao and Ice Cake to meet."
Fang Ye glanced at the comments, thought for a moment, and explained, "Infanticide is actually a very common phenomenon in nature.
The reason males kill offspring is mainly to ensure the transmission of their own genes. Like in a pride of lions, when a new male lion defeats the old one, he will kill all the cubs, and then mate with the lionesses so that all the newborns are his descendants. Another reason is that killing the young can reduce future competition.
The motivations behind females killing young are more complex. For example, if a litter is born but there's not enough food, trying to raise all may result in none surviving, so the mother might skew resources to the stronger individuals, killing off the weaker offspring.
Even in cases where the environment is so harsh that the mother's own survival is in question, let alone raising offspring, in such scenarios, the cruel course of action is to eat the young, to recoup some of the losses from reproduction and prioritize one's own survival."
"My goodness, that's so cruel."