Huayu97: Starting with Wu Song Fighting the Tiger

Chapter 10 Crushing Tiger-Touching

"Come a little closer," Old Li said.

Ding Haifeng took another step.

At this point, he was less than a meter away from the iron fence.

The tiger raised its head, yawned, and revealed a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.

Guo Baochang subconsciously took a step back: "Damn, it's so close."

Kang Honglei observed very carefully: "This kid has decent mental fortitude."

Lan Xiaoling didn't speak, but her gaze shifted back and forth between Ding Haifeng and the tiger, her eyes filled with assessment.

"You can reach out and touch its body," Old Li said, "but be careful."

Ding Haifeng took a deep breath and slowly extended his hand.

His hand paused in mid-air—the suffocating feeling of being "stared at by a tiger" from last time seemed to return.

Then, he reached his hand between the iron bars and gently touched the tiger with his fingertips.

A tiger's body is rough, hard, and has a slight warmth.

Ding Haifeng felt as if he had been burned, and his hand trembled slightly. This time he was a little better than last time and did not immediately pull back, but he did not dare to linger and quickly withdrew it.

The tiger glanced at him, neither attacking nor dodging, but simply flicked its tail, as if to say, "That's all you've got."

"Not bad," Old Li said, "It's a bit more relaxed than last time."

That's the truth.

Last time, Ding Haifeng's back was soaked with sweat after touching the tiger; this time, although he was still nervous, at least he wasn't so scared that his legs went weak.

"Touch it again," Old Li said.

Ding Haifeng gritted his teeth and reached out to touch it a couple more times.

This time, his movements were a little more natural than before, his fingertips gently gliding over the tiger's body.

"Alright," Old Li said, "You can come back now."

Ding Haifeng then withdrew his hand and returned to the group.

He appeared calm on the surface, but Liu Xiang noticed that his palms were sweating.

"How is it?" Guo Baochang asked.

"It's alright," Ding Haifeng smiled. "A little better than last time."

Guo Baochang nodded in satisfaction: "I told you, you'd be fine."

Lan Xiaoling whispered from the side, "It's much better than the first time, but it's still too tense."

She turned to look at Zhang Shaolin: "On camera, this tension will be amplified."

Zhang Shaolin didn't speak, but looked at Liu Xiang and said, "It's your turn."

"Okay." Liu Xiang took a step forward.

Kang Honglei whispered behind him, "Don't be reckless."

"I know," Liu Xiang said.

He walked up to the cage and stood still.

The tiger raised its head and glanced at him.

The way he looked at Ding Haifeng was different from how he had looked at him earlier.

That glance just now was more of a scrutiny;

That glance seemed to evoke a bit more... curiosity.

"Tiger," he called softly.

The tiger's ears twitched.

But the familiarity in his tone made Old Li, who was standing next to him, pause for a moment.

"Did you ever raise tigers before?" Old Li couldn't help but ask.

"No," Liu Xiang said, "It's just that... I've had a few encounters with tigers."

"Bullshit," Guo Baochang said coldly.

Kang Honglei immediately retorted: "If you're so good, you do it."

Lan Xiaoling gently tugged at Kang Honglei's sleeve: "Don't make a fuss, let's see what he does."

Zhang Shaolin glared at them: "Quiet down."

Liu Xiang slowly took a step forward.

Unlike Ding Haifeng, he did not deliberately maintain an "upright" posture, but instead relaxed his body.

He knew that animals were very sensitive to a tense atmosphere.

"I reached out my hand," he said to Old Li.

"Okay, go slower," Old Li said.

Liu Xiang reached her hand between the iron bars.

This time, he didn't touch the body first, but went straight to touch the tiger's head.

"Hey—don't—" Old Li and the zookeeper both wanted to stop him, but they froze before they could finish speaking.

The tiger didn't flinch.

Liu Xiang gently placed her hand on its head and stroked it slowly in the direction of its fur growth.

The tiger narrowed its eyes, as if it were enjoying itself.

"Damn it!" Kang Honglei couldn't help but swear. "This even works?"

Guo Baochang's expression also changed.

Ding Haifeng's act of touching the tiger was "barely completing the task";

Liu Xiang touched the tiger, and "the tiger seemed to enjoy it."

The difference is quite obvious.

"Feel it again," Old Li said, a hint of surprise in his voice.

Liu Xiang touched her a few more times, her movements very light and her rhythm very steady.

The tiger flicked its tail and actually moved closer to him.

"It...likes you quite a bit," Old Li said.

"Maybe it's because I smell like food on me," Liu Xiang said half-jokingly.

Kang Honglei almost burst out laughing: "Can you please stop talking about food all the time?"

Lan Xiaoling smiled and wrote a few words in her notebook: "Relaxed, natural, and approachable."

Zhang Shaolin, however, did not laugh.

He stared intently at Liu Xiang's movements, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"Old Li, can we let him in?" Zhang Shaolin suddenly asked.

Old Li was taken aback for a moment: "Now?"

"Yes," Zhang Shaolin said. "Tie it up with a chain, and have the zookeeper watch over it."

Guo Baochang immediately objected: "Director Zhang, this is too dangerous!"

"The zookeeper and I were both there," Old Li said. "And he and Tiger seemed to be doing quite well."

Kang Honglei's eyes lit up: "Liu Xiang, this is an opportunity."

Lan Xiaoling thought for a moment and nodded: "If we're really going to film a tiger-fighting scene, he'll eventually have to be in the same space as the tiger. It's good to try it out now."

Zhang Shaolin hesitated for a moment, then: "Let's do it in a bit."

"Alright," Old Li said, "You all step back a little."

He had the keeper open the side door, went in first, checked the tiger's chain to make sure it was secure, and then beckoned to Liu Xiang: "Come in."

Liu Xiang took a deep breath and stepped inside.

At that moment, everyone's hearts were in their throats.

Guo Baochang clenched his fists instinctively: "This kid, is he really not afraid of death?"

Kang Honglei's palms were sweating with nervousness: "Shut up."

Liu Xiang stood in front of the tiger, less than a meter away from it.

The tiger looked up at him, its eyes carrying a hint of laziness, and also a hint of...friendliness?

"Don't move around," Old Li reminded him from the side.

Liu Xiang nodded and slowly squatted down.

"Tiger," he called again in a low voice.