Would You Like to Adopt a Little Polar Bear?

After the blizzard finally let up, Lin Zhan found a little polar bear beside her tundra vehicle.

The wound on its front paw was impossible to ignore. Her heart softened, and she let it follow her everywhere, keeping close to her home and out of sight of everyone else.

Unlike other polar bears, this little one was innocent and trusting, gentle toward humans.

Every day, she would sneak out to feed it, watching as it gradually recovered. Then one morning, it disappeared without a word.

Lin Zhan stared at the empty little nest, feeling dejected.

As expected, adopting a little polar bear was nothing but a pipe dream.

*

A silver-haired stranger appeared in town, always trailing Lin Zhan at a discreet distance.

“I have nowhere to go, Zhan Zhan.” The boy spoke, his voice like freshly thawed snowmelt, clear and youthful, “Could you take me in for a little while?”

After he showed up, all sorts of strange things started happening around Lin Zhan.

Every morning, a mound of unbelievably fresh sea fish would be piled outside her door.

Every now and then, a few innocent-looking seals would be found “passed out” in the backyard.

One night, the big bully who often picked on her in town got beaten black and blue.

*

Then, one freezing night, a cold snap hit and the heating stopped working.

Lin Zhan woke in suffocating warmth.

A giant beast had her wrapped tightly in its embrace. Those dark, deep-set animal eyes, so close to hers, were unmistakably those of the little polar bear she had once rescued!

The other party froze, looking flustered, then changed back into human form on the spot.

Warm breath brushed her ear. A familiar, crisp voice spoke with tentative care:

“Zhan Zhan, would you... still be willing to adopt me?”

#I thought it was supposed to be a little polar bear. How did it grow into a giant?!#

Theme: Be grateful and repay kindness