Deep affection knows no origin; remember the polar bear's love for you.

Chapter 186 You Have a Problem

Her voice drifted in the cold wind, and Caesar couldn't help but look into those eyes etched into his mind.

When he saw it, all that remained was a slight chill, and... that glimmer of light that he always subconsciously sought, bright and dazzling, just like when it bit his claws back then.

Even now, Caesar felt his heart skip a beat, and inexplicably, thoughts raced through his mind:
She hasn't changed at all...

Guo Mi lowered her eyes. She felt that she had said enough and did not want to say anything more hurtful to Caesar.

Guo Mi always had mixed feelings about Caesar.

She was angry with him, avoided him, and constantly complained about and hated him, but she couldn't bring herself to truly hate him, just like the White Wolf back then, who could fight to the death but couldn't bring himself to feel hatred.

Because she had once felt her heart beat in unison with these creatures so different from herself through the thick lens of a camera, that wondrous feeling is the deepest imprint on her soul.

It also constantly reminded her that Caesar was different from what she perceived him to be.

He Dian had somehow hidden behind Guo Mi, and his smug look of seeking protection from Guo Mi fueled Caesar's jealousy!

He hated that Guo Mi was with the other bears, especially since they seemed to be in cahoots now, and he was the outsider bear!
His competitors had long since retreated, hiding in a sorry state behind Guo Mi; now, what stood in his way was the one he truly desired.

Caesar stared intently into Gomi's eyes, like a prying eye hiding in a dark corner, eagerly seeking a treasure. His most primal and keen intuition told him that Gomi could actually tolerate him more.

If, like countless times before, I used the same method to get what I wanted...

Caesar's brown pupils shifted, becoming increasingly dark and aggressive. He leaned forward, his throat bobbing as he emitted a short, sharp cry characteristic of bears before an attack.

Guo Mi's ears twitched. How could she not know that he wanted to do the same thing as yesterday? Her eyes turned completely cold, and she sneered. The understanding and consideration she had just been trying to convince herself to be for Caesar was instantly burned away by her anger!

The two bears were locked in a fierce battle, and at the critical moment, a simple, honest voice suddenly rang out from the side:

"Guo Mi, it really is you!"

Guo Mi turned her head and saw Slock walking briskly towards her, swaying his head and bobbing his ears, greeting her cheerfully.
Long time no see!

Faced with Slok, a bear who was both simple-minded and foolish, Guo Mi's anger subsided by half, and she forced a smile, saying:
"It's been a long time. Where's Xia Tian?"

Slok grinned, raised his chin, and said without any embarrassment:
"She complained that I was always hanging around her, so she chased me away and told me to come back to her in a couple of days."

Guo Mi was both amused and exasperated; this was indeed something Xia Tian would say.

The already tense atmosphere was disrupted by Slok's sudden appearance, leaving it in a limbo.

She glanced at Caesar out of the corner of her eye, and he had also abandoned his previous aggressive stance, now staring at her without moving. As if sensing her gaze, he took a step forward.

Slok circled Guo Mi once, then sat down, conveniently blocking Guo Mi's view of Caesar. After looking Guo Mi up and down for a while, he exclaimed in surprise:

"You look a lot rounder than when we last met!"

Guo Mi simply stopped paying attention to Caesar. When she heard Slok's words, she twitched her lips. Although he might not have meant any harm, the phrase "rounded out" still made her feel that it was not a very polite way to describe him.

Slok began to invite Guo Mi to share the feast:
"Are you here to eat whale meat too? There's still so much left, it's delicious! Let's eat together!"

He extended a warm invitation, and Guo Mi did not refuse, readily agreeing to lead the little bear toward the whale carcass.

Ultimately, replenishing her fat reserves was the real purpose of her trip.

After finishing this last meal, she will begin her hibernation.

Herdian was quite disappointed that he didn't get to see Guo Mi and Caesar fight, but he was still lucky to get some food.

So he took the opportunity to follow Guo Mi, openly preparing to freeload a meal.

Slok didn't go with them. He waited until Gomi climbed onto the whale carcass before turning around and walking to Caesar's side.

This usually majestic polar bear was quite frustrated, staring blankly at the snow with a look of dejection and confusion. Even its usually swaying white fur seemed to sense its dejection, with the tips of its fur drooping.

"Caesar, do you know?" Slok's usually carefree voice had become steady:

"You have one major flaw, which is that you never learn from your mistakes, or rather, you are overly arrogant and blindly confident."

Caesar remained motionless and unresponsive, it was unclear whether he had heard the message or not.

Slok was furious, but he managed to suppress it and his tone returned to its usual憨厚 (honest and simple) and cheerful manner:

"In short, I have a suggestion: until you truly find the right way to get along with Guo Mi, do nothing and just stay quietly by her side."

His eyes narrowed with a smile:
"After all, you like being with her the most, and this is more important than mating, isn't it?"

He knew his cold-blooded older brother too well, and knew what kind of communication would make him listen to him.

Caesar's eyes darted around a couple of times, remaining noncommittal, before slowly walking towards the whale carcass.

Slok immediately called to Xiaohe:
"Little River, eat up, aren't you full?"

Xiaohe hesitated, glancing at Hertz and Caesar lingering beside the whale carcass, before turning away.

Slok immediately ran over and nuzzled against him:

"Oh, it's alright, they won't be able to fight today, you'll see!"

Caesar was no longer in the mood to monopolize the prey, and as for the other male bear, since he was not the final victor, he naturally wouldn't take the initiative to drive away the other bears.

Slok climbed back onto the whale carcass, took a bite, and asked Guo Mi, "..."

"Guo Mi, how is it? Is it delicious?"

Guo Mi swallowed the whale blubber she was chewing. It was an extremely thick and chewy fat, with a completely different texture from seal blubber. In short, she didn't dislike it, so she casually replied:

"not bad."

Unable to bite through the whale's skin, the two bear cubs could only continue eating the meat inside through the wounds already torn open by the adult bear, busily and enthusiastically.

Slok stood on the whale carcass and shouted down the stream:
"See? It's alright."

Xiaohe hesitated before approaching the whale carcass, and only after confirming that neither Caesar nor Herdian intended to continue driving the other bears away did he lower his guard and resume eating.

The other bears sat in twos and threes not far away, looking at each other. Before long, one of the bears couldn't resist the temptation of the food and boldly came over to try and get a bite.

After he was no longer attacked, more bears approached.

The larger, stronger male bears occupied the better spots, while the younger, newly-adult male and female bears mostly stayed in the water, which was arduous but allowed them to obtain food.

What caught the bear's eye most were the salmon and fish bones. The two little guys followed Guo Mi and occupied the best spot, which was unprecedented.

This was the first time they had shared food with Caesar, and all the bears who knew him were on tenterhooks, almost always looking up at him after taking a bite.

But as time passed, the bears' attention began to shift and fall on Guo Mi.

The bears huddled together and whispered:
"Hey, how many hits can you take?"

"...Three times."

Guo Mi heard those faint sounds and, somewhat inexplicably, pricked up her ears, preparing to listen more carefully. Just then, she heard another male bear say dismissively:
"You're too weak, I can withstand five hits!"

"Then I can take eight hits!"

Guo Mi's round ears twitched, and a hint of confusion rose in her heart:

What are you carrying?