King of the Wilderness

At that moment, a flurry of hurried, stumbling footsteps came from the direction of the living room.

"Da-da! Da-da!"

Ethan, wearing an adorable blue onesie, was the first to rush out.

He toddled with little unsteady steps straight towards Lin Yu’an’s leg. Hugging his dad’s calf tightly, he looked up, his light green eyes shining with admiration.

"Da-da! Candy!" He still remembered his dad’s promise, demanding candy with his childish lisp.

"Of course, there’s candy," Lin Yu’an said with a smile, bending down to pick up this little clinger.

Right after, Olivia also came out rubbing her sleepy eyes, accompanied by the nanny.

Unlike her brother, she wasn’t so outgoing and simply gazed at Lin Yu’an with the same light green eyes as Aliya’s, like a spring lake, unblinking.

Then, she reached out with her chubby little hand, gently and cautiously touching Lin Yu’an’s cheek.

After confirming that the tall figure before her was indeed the father who gave her boundless warmth, she sweetly and softly called out:

"Da-da..."

That call completely melted Lin Yu’an’s heart.

He extended his other arm to draw Emily, who had also come forward, along with Olivia in Aliya’s arms, tightly into a hug.

He knew that all his struggles and battles were for the people before him.

For this unique and irreplaceable family.

In the dining room, a belated but richly Chinese-flavored New Year’s Eve dinner had long been ready in the warming trays.

On the long dining table, there weren’t too many dishes, only a few classic ones filled with the taste of home.

Those were dumplings of various shapes but steaming hot, awkwardly wrapped by Emily and Aliya with Irena’s help, following online videos.

There was also a plate of pan-fried trout symbolizing prosperity year after year and a pot of simmered, tender, steaming porcupine bone soup.

"Try it, we spent the whole afternoon on it," Aliya said, like showing off a treasure, offering Lin Yu’an a round dumpling.

Lin Yu’an laughed and popped the dumpling into his mouth in one bite. The taste might not be as authentic as those at home, but it was wrapped with the sincerest love.

The entire dining room was filled with the warm whispers of family.

Lin Yu’an sat at the head of the table, and Aliya, instead of letting the kids sit on his lap, placed them in their baby chairs.

Patiently feeding small pieces of dumpling skin into their mouths. The little ones were eating with great delight.

Emily watched this scene, her face radiating an indescribably happy smile.

She gently caressed her slightly swelling belly, eyes full of anticipation for the future.

The next morning, Lin Yu’an awoke to the calls of "Da-da" from his pair of children.

He was still unaware that while he was in sweet dreams, the entire world had, because of him, burst into a frenzy.

At nine in the morning, New York Time.

When the afterglow of last night’s concert, along with the first ray of morning light, began to ferment on major social media.

An unprecedented internet storm centered on Lin Yu’an officially began.

The New York Times’ entertainment section headline:

"One Night, One Legend: Lin Yu’an Redefines Madison Square Garden with Song, Hanfu, and a Polar Bear!"

Rolling Stone magazine website homepage:

"Not Just the Voice: An Epic Performance at Madison, A Tidal Wave of Love and Loss Emotion"

CNN News:

"From King of the Wilderness to Cultural Ambassador: Chinese New Year Declaration Sparks Global Debate"

In one night, nearly all mainstream media devoted their most prominent pages to this mysterious man from the East.

And on more immediate social media, the related discussions had already entered a feverish frenzy.

On Twitter, four hashtags related to him dominated the global trending list’s top four spots.

#LinAndThePolarBear

#ChineseNewYear

#Hanfu

#BieberAndLin

And beneath this global celebration, a surging undercurrent had gradually turned into an extremely fierce online world war under the #ChineseNewYear and #Hanfu hashtags.

The spark of the conflict stemmed from the moment Lin Yu’an appeared on stage in Hanfu.

That night, countless South Korean viewers, glued to the livestream, couldn’t sit still upon seeing the magnificent round-collared robe and Qilin emblem.

They rushed into YouTube and Twitter comment sections with almost police-like speed.

"Dear Mr. Lin, your performance is fantastic, but I must point out that what you’re wearing is our Hanbok, originating from Korea’s Goryeo and Joseon Dynasty."

"That’s right! This is cultural appropriation on our part! We’re happy to see Eastern culture showcased, but please respect its origins!"

"The Lunar New Year’s the same! It’s not just Chinese New Year but a shared Lunar New Year, please correct your statement!"

These seemingly polite yet aggressive comments, like sparks into a pot of oil, instantly ignited the prepared anger of Chinese netizens!

An overwhelming counterattack ensued on the global web, fought simultaneously in Chinese, English, and Korean!

"Here we go again! The country of origin of the universe starts its daily stealing act! Have you forgotten to claim your breathing rights?"

"Laugh till I could die, let me give our Europe and America friends an analogy: It’s like Italians wearing ancient Roman togas, then a Romanian jumps out saying, ’Hey, that’s our Romanian traditional attire!’ Got it? One’s your dad, one’s a province your dad once occupied!"