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

Chapter 68 Before departure
Caesar was taken aback by the question.

He just wanted to be with Guo Mi, and that seemed to be enough for him. He hadn't thought about anything else.

So he simply answered:
"do not know."

Slok immediately disagreed:
"How could you not know? You traded your prey for Guo Mi's time, and then the two of you went to the beach to stand in the wind tomorrow?"

As he spoke, he muttered something else:
"And why did you only change it for two days? That's far too little."

Caesar twitched his ears in confusion upon hearing this, then suddenly whispered:

“It’s a good deal.”

Guo Mi didn't even feel like talking to him. Caesar only said two days because he thought Guo Mi wouldn't agree, so he exaggerated the time.

So she actually agreed in the end, which was completely unexpected by Caesar.

Thinking about it this way, the displeasure that had arisen because Guo Mi trusted Slok more dissipated considerably.

Caesar let out a heavy sigh and scratched the ground a couple more times with his paws.

Slok could tell from his expression that he was in a good mood, and inwardly he thought to himself that he was so easily satisfied, but on the surface he just smiled and said:
"Don't you want to make up with Guo Mi? I'll teach you how!"

Caesar scrutinized the foolish bear before him, looking him up and down with suspicion.

"you?"

Slok raised his chin, straightened his back, and walked up to Caesar:
"Of course!"

Perhaps his overconfidence made Caesar secretly ponder the matter:
It seems that Guo Mi is indeed closer to this silly bear. Maybe he really does have a solution. Caesar's gaze swept over Slok again, still hesitant. Should he really trust him...?

Slok chuckled slyly as he moved closer to Caesar:

"Really, really, you can't go wrong with me!"

The two male bears huddled together and whispered to each other for a while, and Caesar hesitated:

"Will doing it your way really work?"

Slok was full of confidence:
"It will definitely work!"

……

When Guo Mi emerged from the cave, Slok and Caesar were already sitting at the entrance. They seemed to be intentionally trying to avoid being discovered by her, deliberately sitting in a sheltered spot to minimize their scent and making no sound.

When they saw her peek out of the cave, the eyes of both male bears lit up.

Slok was the first to come running over, and before Guo Mi could even speak, he gave her his assurance:
"Don't worry, Guo Mi, I will definitely guard the cave entrance and won't leave it for even a moment!"

Guo Mi chuckled twice, half believing and half doubting his words.

Because Slok is a very playful bear, his attention is hard to concentrate, and he might forget his duties.

Rather than placing her hopes on Slok, Guo Mi trusted Little Bear more.

She turned to the little bear in the cave and instructed it:
"Unless there is danger, try not to stray too far from the cave entrance. Stay with Slok and don't stray too far from him, understand?"

The two little bears obediently said:
"understood."

Guo Mi smiled, and just as she was about to give some more instructions, she suddenly felt a soft, furry touch next to her. It turned out that Slock couldn't wait any longer and squeezed his head in from next to her, sticking it into the hole.

The sudden appearance of a bear's head startled the two bear cubs, but they breathed a sigh of relief when they saw it was Slok. The silly bear chuckled twice and greeted them:

"Salmon, fish bones, I've come to play with you."

He hadn't seen the two bear cubs for a while, and they felt a bit estranged from each other.

Guo Mi twitched her lips, stood up, took two steps to the side, and gave the opening to Slok.

The bear cubs have grown up, and since it's summer they don't sleep in the cave with Guo Mi anymore, the cave Guo Mi dug isn't as big as it used to be.

The two bear cubs are now hiding in the cave. Slok can only stick his head in, with most of his body and bottom sticking out. His short tail, hidden in his fur, sways slightly with his owner's happy mood.

After a while, Slok finally came out of the cave, followed by the two bear cubs. The awkwardness from before vanished, and they stood affectionately at Slok's feet. Fishbone even stood up and scratched Slok's head a couple of times with its paw.

Slok turned his head and used his nose to flip the fishbone over, then raised his paw and plucked the little guy a couple of times.

Fishbone wasn't afraid when it saw the male bear raise its paw. After playing around for a while, it stood up on its hind legs and ran behind Slok.

This was the first time Caesar had ever seen Slok and the bear playing together.

When he had a conflict with Guo Mi, Guo Mi did not allow Slok to get so close to the bear; he was only allowed to talk to the bear next to Guo Mi.

Although he later heard from Slok that he often went to play with the bear, he never imagined that they had become so close.

Their interaction is as natural as that of a mother bear and her cubs!
If it weren't for the fact right in front of him, he wouldn't have been able to imagine seeing a male polar bear so naturally playing and getting close to a cub.

Only now did Caesar finally gain a concrete understanding of why Gomi entrusted the bear cub to Slok.

At the same time, he knew in his heart that this was something he couldn't do; no male bear in the entire Arctic, except for Slok, could do it.

Caesar's eyes darkened, and for a moment he even wondered if he could be as affectionate towards the two little ones as Slok was.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

After seeing Fishbone and Slok playing around, Guo Mi's tension eased considerably. After confirming that Slok was alright, she walked over to Caesar.

She said nothing, but Caesar knew that the two days he had gained in exchange for the prey had begun.

He looked down at Guo Mi's beautifully rounded almond-shaped eyes, opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. He could only turn around silently and lead the way.

Before leaving, Slok called out to him:
"Caesar."

Turning around, he saw the silly bear with its two hind legs spread apart, its chin on the ground, then its hind legs pushed it up and its butt sticking out, while it gave him a look.

Caesar instantly averted his gaze and quickened his pace.

Guo Mi was confused. Following Caesar's gaze, she looked back and saw Slok lying on the ground like a rag doll, with fish bones crawling up his back and biting the bear's ear.

The little bear wasn't sure how much force to apply, and Slok gasped in pain, quickly tilting his body to the side to slide the fishbone off his body. He then sat up and pressed a paw against the little guy's belly.

The little furball rolled around on its back, unable to escape the bear's control no matter how much it struggled.

Slok chuckled smugly.

Fishbone was rarely this lively, and a smile flashed in Guo Mi's eyes before she felt relieved and followed Caesar's pace.

(End of this chapter)