Song Jianchu opened the exit gate of the sheepfold, and the sheep spontaneously poured out.
He was silently counting the number of sheep in his mind when Mu Ye suddenly approached and asked, “How many did you count last time?”
Song Jianchu looked confused, “Huh?”
“What number did you count before trying to put me to sleep?” Mu Ye chuckled and asked, “How many did you count in the end?”
Though he didn’t understand why Mu Ye was asking this, Song Jianchu thought for a moment and replied, “One hundred and seventy-eight.”
Mu Ye nodded, “You fell asleep so quickly, you won’t have insomnia in the future.”
Song Jianchu was a little surprised; they had been sleeping together for a long time, and he didn’t remember Mu Ye ever having insomnia. “You used to have insomnia frequently?”
“In the past,” Mu Ye naturally held his hand in front of the camera and said, “It’s gone since I started sleeping with you.”
[“Sleeping together! And then? And then!”]
[“Is Mu Ye a child? He needs a boyfriend to count sheep and put him to sleep, hahaha!”]
[“Continue talking, how did you sleep together? I want to know the specific details!”]
[“Ah ah ah, did you cuddle while sleeping?”]
[“Director, could you please set up a camera in the dormitory? Thank you.”]
[“Hope future vlogs include bedroom scenes too.”]
Although living together was no longer a secret between the two, Song Jianchu still felt a subconscious nervousness, but then he quickly composed himself and continued counting sheep.
The hungry sheep rushed out of the enclosure, and some lambs even ran to their food hastily.
Mu Ye interrupted him, and Song Jianchu almost forgot how many sheep he had counted.
Just as he found his rhythm again, Mu Ye spoke in his ear, “Can you count aloud? It will feel more vivid when I hear you counting.”
But counting out loud felt really silly.
Afraid that Mu Ye would continue to tease him, Song Jianchu quietly counted, “Ninety-eight, ninety-nine…”
Mu Ye stared at him without blinking, as if he wanted to capture this moment with his eyes.
Mu Ye’s gaze seemed to have a tangible warmth, gently caressing the side of his face like warm sunlight through gentle water.
Feeling a bit distracted by the intense gaze, Song Jianchu tried to concentrate.
[“Ah, Mu Ye’s gaze is killing me.”]
[“If someone looked at me like that, I would marry them on the spot.”]
[“Mu Ye is so gentle.”]
The two flocks of sheep needed to be separated to avoid mixing, as it would make them difficult to manage if the numbers were jumbled.
Herding sheep required skill; it wasn’t as easy as casually driving them around. The sheep weren’t always obedient and would sometimes scatter or split into several smaller groups while moving.
Song Jianchu and Mu Ye tried to drive one group of sheep to a designated location, but they were struggling to cope with the sheep’s chaotic movements. They realized that they had underestimated the complexity of the task.
“Chu Chu, wait over there,” fearing that Song Jianchu would get tired from running around, Mu Ye stopped the sheep on his side and said, “I’ll drive them toward you.”
Song Jianchu was already sweating a bit. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and helped stop the sheep, saying, “Together.”
Mu Ye was a little worried, “This won’t work; we won’t finish this by noon.”
The ranch owner, who had been observing the novices, chimed in with a smile, “Young man, you need to find the leader of the flock.”
Mu Ye looked at the vast sea of sheep and asked, “The leader?”
“How do you distinguish the leader?” Song Jianchu inquired.
The rancher with a stubbly beard smiled and said, “Take a look, which one is always leading at the front?”
After hearing the explanation, Song Jianchu and Mu Ye observed the flock together.
Sure enough, there was a sheep leading at the front, and the other sheep followed it, letting it dictate their direction.
Mu Ye found it fascinating and said, “Magical.”
They didn’t know much about this aspect, but Song Jianchu also found it interesting.
[“The King of the Music Industry, Magical.”]
[“So there really is a flock leader, how amazing!”]
[“Flock Leader: That’s right, it’s me, the big brother of the flock.”]
Once they found the flock leader, controlling the sheep became much easier. Song Jianchu lured the leader with feed to guide the flock in the right direction, while Mu Ye prevented the sheep from dispersing too much. They worked perfectly together and managed to bring the flock to the designated grazing area in just ten minutes, allowing the sheep to roam freely there.
The grassland had no trees for shade, and the sun was scorching during the day.
After releasing the sheep, Mu Ye went back to get a hat for Song Jianchu. They also placed the more cooperative cows in the designated grazing area and then went to feed other animals together.
While these tasks seemed straightforward, they had taken several hours to complete.
Song Jianchu made a few cups of iced coffee, and they distributed them to other staff members who were still working, checking on their progress and seeing if they encountered any issues.
After the show started airing, the ranch welcomed dozens of tourist groups, and Pei Shinian was busy checking tickets, selling animal feed, and taking photos with the tourists.
“Any problems?” Song Jianchu handed him an iced coffee.
“Thanks, you’re a lifesaver,” Pei Shinian gulped down the iced coffee and came back to life, “The temperature difference is too drastic. It was cold in the morning, and now it’s scorching hot. Good thing I wore a hat; otherwise, I’d be roasted.”
“No problems,” Pei Shinian made an OK gesture and boasted, “I’m an experienced staff member; the boss can rest assured.”
Just as he finished speaking, a tourist came over to remind him, “Nian Nian, two marmots have escaped.”
Pei Shinian quickly put down the coffee and ran over, “Don’t get too close, I’ll catch them.”
Thankfully, they caught the two marmots just as they escaped from their enclosure.
Marmots looked adorable and were very agile. Pei Shinian, wearing gloves, played a game of cat and mouse with them, sweating profusely as he caught one, “Bro, that one almost got away!”
[“Marmot Master Marmot”]
[“Hahaha, so funny!”]
Mu Ye helped catch the other one, engaging in a battle of wits with the marmot.
Song Jianchu had put on gloves and stood not far away, hesitating as he watched the marmot scurrying around.
Mu Ye chased the marmot for a while until it suddenly stopped in front of Song Jianchu. The marmot stood up adorably, locking eyes with him.
[“So cute!!!”]
[“Marmot: What are you looking at?”]
[“Song Jianchu: What’s up with you?”]
[“Did the video freeze? Why is it stuck???”]
Worried that the marmot would escape again, Mu Ye ran towards it while reminding, “Chu Chu, catch it quickly!”
Pei Shinian said, “Jianchu, it’s frozen because it’s captivated by you. Catch it now!”
For a split second, Song Jianchu’s breathing halted. Seizing the moment before the marmot could flee again, he stiffly and swiftly grabbed the seemingly dazed marmot with both hands and rushed toward Mu Ye, shouting, “Mu Ye! I caught it, I caught it!”
Mu Ye looked at the person running straight towards him, feeling a little stunned.
He saw Song Jianchu extend his hands far from his body, and the marmot stayed still in his hands. However, he seemed to be holding a time bomb, and his expression was unusually uncomposed.
Mu Ye realized something and immediately took the marmot from him and put it back in the enclosure.
“Jianchu, are you scared?” Pei Shinian also noticed.
Because Song Jianchu was usually calm, it wasn’t apparent during their previous visit to the ranch.
The warmth of the marmot’s body still lingered on the gloves. Song Jianchu immediately took them off, and his fingers were stiff. He took a deep breath with his head lowered.
Just as he was trying to adjust himself, he was suddenly pulled into an embrace.
Mu Ye removed his gloves and hugged him, gently patting his back. “Don’t be afraid.”
[“Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah”]
[“Hugs!!!”]
[“Ah ah ah, I’m exhausted from squealing so much”]
[“Ah ah ah ah ah ah, not afraid”]
“Why didn’t you say you were scared?” Mu Ye felt a bit guilty and soothingly stroked his head.
Song Jianchu felt a bit embarrassed, leaning on Mu Ye for support, he stubbornly denied, “I’m not.”
“Mm.” Mu Ye remembered the scene just now, suppressed a smile, and defended his boyfriend’s face, “We, Chu Chu and I, are not afraid of marmots.”
“But you weren’t scared?” Pei Shinian laughed and said, “Your expression was about to crack, I think I saw a meme.”
Mu Ye shot him a cold glance.
Pei Shinian immediately said, “It’s normal. Who isn’t scared of marmots? I’m scared too. I just held it in and didn’t cry.”
Song Jianchu buried his face in Mu Ye’s shoulder, blushing, and closed his eyes.
After adjusting his expression, Song Jianchu quickly regained his composure, leaving Mu Ye’s embrace and said, “Let’s use boards to block the hole, and the construction team will be here soon.”
Pei Shinian took action, “I’ll handle it. You guys can go and deliver coffee to the other groups.”
When leaving, Song Jianchu washed his hands, but he still felt a tingling sensation in his fingers. Mu Ye noticed that his fingers were curling up oddly and held his hand, rubbing it gently. “Do you want to go back to the dorm and rest for a bit?”
The strange feeling on his hand was replaced by the warmth of Mu Ye’s touch, and Song Jianchu completely relaxed. He shook his head, “No need.”
Song Jianchu felt a bit annoyed.
Mu Ye had seen it, and it must have been ridiculous.
So why did rodents even exist in the world? They were so big, so chubby, and holding one in your hand, feeling the warmth of its flesh…
Song Jianchu unintentionally recalled the moment and began to suffocate.
He numbly comforted himself that he probably didn’t show his fear too obviously just now, right?
While Mu Ye massaged his fingers, he looked up at him, and Mu Ye praised, “Jianchu, you’re really brave.”
Song Jianchu, who was in the process of self-abandonment, reluctantly admitted to making a fool of himself in front of his boyfriend. He was taken aback when he heard the praise and slowly met Mu Ye’s gaze, “?”
Mu Ye gently kissed his fingers and smiled, “You looked really cool just now.”