The little black bear enjoyed Hah’Er’s pat on the head, squinting its eyes in comfort. It stuck out its tongue, trying to lick Hah’Er’s face, but Hah’Er pushed it away before it could get close. To top it off, Hah’Er raised a paw and waved it in front of its nose.

"Ha, is that panda disgusted by the black bear’s bad breath?" At this point, the spectators above were even in the mood to joke around. From the way things were looking, the child probably wasn’t in any immediate danger.

Longtao kept giving Hah’Er candy. Hah’Er and the little black bear sat side-by-side, continuously taking candy from Longtao’s hands. They would either pop it into their own mouths or pass it to the little black bear’s. The three of them looked like they were having a wonderful time. The black bear’s parents also lowered their guard and sat back down. They sized up Hah’Er curiously, ’seeming to wonder where on earth this creature came from.’

"Panda, can I pet your head? Can I give you a hug and take a picture? Why don’t you come home with me? I have lots of yummy food at my house, I’ll give it all to you, okay?" Longtao said this while rummaging through his pockets for more food for Hah’Er. Every so often, he’d turn and shout up, "Mom! Mom! Did you get a picture of me feeding the panda candy?"

"That kid is really something else. His parents must have their hands full raising him," the spectators above commented again.

"Kid, I got all the pictures! I’ll send them to you when you get up here!" someone shouted, holding up their phone. Indeed, people had been filming the entire scene.

"Mmmph." To their greater surprise, Hah’Er actually leaned its head over. Longtao was so happy he was about to burst. One moment he was stroking Hah’Er’s head, the next he had his arm around its neck, flashing a V-sign at his mother, which made his parents not know whether to laugh or cry.

In all the excitement, they were only focused on taking pictures. The little black bear seemed to feel left out. Hah’Er wasn’t petting its head anymore, and no one was feeding it candy. The little cub wasn’t having it. It wriggled its chubby body and squeezed in between Hah’Er and Longtao. Someone managed to snap a photo right at that moment, capturing the three furry creatures in a single shot.

"Can I take a picture with you too?" Completely unaware of the danger, Longtao smoothly moved his arm and draped it over the little black bear’s neck. The cub, however, had no intention of cooperating. It kept craning its neck forward, trying to see if he had any candy in his other hand.

"The candy is all gone. I’ll bring some more for you two next time, okay?" Longtao spread his hands to show they were empty. How many pieces of candy could his little pockets hold? It was nowhere near enough for these two.

"Longtao, don’t worry, Mom has more! Mom will get them for you right now!" Longtao’s mother frantically opened her handbag, took out a bag of candy, and wanted to toss it down, but she was afraid of startling the little black bear.

"Let me." Shen Yibin walked over and took the candy from her. He held the bag out over the enclosure and gave it a little shake. "Hah’Er, take this and share it with your new friend." With that, he loosened his fingers. The bag of candy fell, hit the ground, and sent candy scattering everywhere.

Without a second thought, the little black bear bolted toward the scattered candy. Hah’Er also ambled over slowly. If the cub’s parents hadn’t still been watching nearby, the zookeeper could have rescued Longtao right then and there.

Hah’Er picked up a few pieces of candy and unwrapped them, but it didn’t eat them itself. Instead, it leisurely walked over to the little black bear’s parents, opened its paw, and offered them the candy. After all, it had been a guest in their home for a while now; it would be rude not to share the treats with the hosts. Hah’Er was a well-mannered child.

"Liu, be ready. The moment those two black bears are distracted, get the boy out of there immediately." Dong saw an opportunity and quickly directed the zookeeper, who was anxiously waiting below, in a low voice. ’Hah’Er has created the perfect chance for them; they absolutely have to take it.’

The zookeeper waved to those above to signal he’d received the message. Then, crouching low, he cautiously edged his way toward Longtao. The boy was so preoccupied with watching Hah’Er that he didn’t notice a thing.

The two adult black bears had been watching their cub eat the candy and had long since grown curious. Now, just like their little one, they sniffed and licked the treats before rolling them into their mouths with their tongues. They began to chew with a loud CRUNCH, CRUNCH. After finishing them off in a couple of bites, they looked up at Hah’Er again, who gave them each another piece.

"You big meanie! I want the panda! I want the panda!" Longtao still didn’t realize how much danger he had just been in and was very unhappy to see someone coming to rescue him.

"Okay, get ready to pull!" The zookeeper couldn’t be bothered with the boy’s complaints. Right now, his heart was filled with nothing but relief at having averted disaster. ’If it weren’t for Hah’Er,’ he thought, ’I might have been the one forced to face those three black bears.’

The staff above quickly reached down and pulled Longtao up. The little rascal was finally out of danger. His parents rushed forward and threw their arms around him, laughing and crying as they checked him over, afraid he might have sustained some hidden injury.

"Our zoo has a first-aid station. You should take the boy there for a check-up," Director Dong quickly suggested. "He did take a fall, after all. It’s better to be safe."

"Thank you, thank you so much!" Longtao’s parents said repeatedly.

"It was a lapse in our zoo’s safety that allowed you and your child to be frightened. If you want to thank someone, you should thank this Mr. Shen. The panda belongs to him." Director Dong refused to take the credit and pulled Shen Yibin forward.

"I’m Hou Longtao’s father. If it hadn’t been for your panda, I’m afraid... I’m afraid..." Longtao’s mother wiped away a tear and set the boy down. "Come on, bow to the nice uncle and say thank you."

By now, young Hou Longtao finally realized just how dangerous his situation had been. He obediently bowed to Shen Yibin. "Thank you, uncle!"

"It’s no problem. A cute kid like him will definitely be popular with the girls when he grows up," Shen Yibin said with a smile, helping him up. "You should hurry and get him to the first-aid station for a check-up."

"Mr. Shen, could we have your phone number? After the check-up, we’d like to thank you properly," said Hou Longtao’s father, taking out his phone.

"Oh, no need, really..." Shen Yibin tried to refuse, but he couldn’t get out of it with Hou Longtao’s parents being so insistent, so he had to leave his number.

Hou Longtao’s parents and Dong rushed off with Hou Longtao toward the first-aid station. However, the crowd around Bear Mountain didn’t disperse. Instead, they watched with fascination as Hah’Er played with the three black bears.

Suddenly, the sound of urgent footsteps came from outside the crowd. "Make way, make way! Where’s the child?"