King of the Wilderness

He patted the steering wheel and said in an experienced tone, "Good luck on your date. Hope you and your girl have fun!"

Faced with this Alaskan goodwill, Lin Yu’an felt a bit at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

He didn’t argue or decline; he just picked up the small box, smiled helplessly, and put it in his pocket.

He pushed open the car door and got out of the car.

"Hey, kid!" the driver called again from behind him.

Lin Yu’an turned his head.

"Remember, dealing with Alaskan women is like dealing with the bears here. Be gentle when you need to be, but don’t hold back when you need to be fierce!"

With that, he laughed loudly and with a step on the gas, the yellow cab quickly vanished into the wind and snow.

Lin Yu’an stood there, his face filled with helplessness. This city really is as wild as ever...

He looked up at the windows of the apartment building, adjusted his collar, and walked into the apartment building.

He pressed the elevator button, arrived at the floor where Max lived, and stood in front of that dark gray door.

He could hear the faint sound of classical music from behind the door, low and melancholic, like Brahms’ Cello Sonata.

He raised his hand and pressed the doorbell.

A few seconds later, the door opened.

At the moment the door opened, Lin Yu’an almost didn’t recognize Max in front of him.

She was no longer the talented young doctor wearing a white research coat with a high ponytail, exuding outdoor energy.

Dressed in simple gray loungewear and pants, her beautiful flaxen hair draped loosely, appearing a bit untidy.

No makeup on her face, pale complexion, with heavy dark circles under her eyes that couldn’t be concealed.

The eyes that always sparkled with wisdom and banter were now dull, bloodshot, and filled with endless fatigue.

When she saw Lin Yu’an’s familiar and steady face genuinely appearing in front of her, the hard shell she had been holding on to finally completely crumbled in that moment.

Her lips moved, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, not a single word came out.

Her eyes, however, quickly became red and wet at an uncontrollable speed.

The next second, like a child lost at sea finally finding a harbor, she plunged into Lin Yu’an’s arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face in his chest.

"You’re here..." her voice was muffled.

Lin Yu’an said nothing, just wrapped his arms tightly and gently around her trembling body.

He could clearly feel her thin shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

He gently patted her back, as if comforting an injured, helpless young animal.

For a long, long time.

When the trembling in his arms finally gradually subsided, Max, a little embarrassed, lifted her head from his embrace, eyes red, and wiped her face messily with the back of her hand.

"Sorry...I lost my composure." Her voice was still hoarse.

"It’s okay." Lin Yu’an closed the door and helped her to the sofa in the living room, "If you want to cry, just let it out, there’s no one else here."

The apartment was still as filled with books and scientific charts as it was when Lin Yu’an last visited, but now with more mess.

The table was piled with various legal documents and thick reports, along with a few empty wine glasses and a half-eaten sandwich.

Obviously, she hadn’t slept for almost two days.

Lin Yu’an didn’t immediately ask about anything but went to the kitchen to make her a cup of hot coffee.

Max held the cup of coffee, feeling the warmth from her palms, and finally, her emotions completely calmed down.

She looked up at Lin Yu’an, her eyes filled with deep apology and struggle: "Lin, I’m sorry. I... I might have messed everything up."

"I may not be able to secure the ownership of December."

Her voice was filled with defeat: "A senior friend of mine told me that Fisher and his people were indeed scared by me. They reported my threat to their superiors."

"But, as you predicted, transferring the legal ownership of a polar bear to an individual American citizen touches on Canada’s national sovereignty and legal bottom line."

"My friend said that in an internal meeting, the top officials of the Ministry of Environment were furious about this. They can agree to money and disassociate themselves."

"But they absolutely cannot set this treasonous precedent. It would be an indelible stain on their political careers."

"So, the final solution they offered is still the open-ended, full-authority custody agreement you mentioned, full of traps."

"Sounds good, but in reality, they can find a reason to take December back at any time."

Lin Yu’an listened quietly, all this within his expectations.

"I... I have no way out, Lin." In Max’s eyes, this deep sense of helplessness emerged again.

"I’m just a scientist, and all my weapons are science and logic. But in the face of the bigger, more unreasonable political beast, I’m powerless."

She closed her eyes painfully, seemingly making an extremely difficult decision.

"Perhaps... I really can only..."

She took a deep breath and spoke of the past she was unwilling to mention, "... seek help from my grandfather."

Lin Yu’an’s eyebrows raised slightly, knowing this is what Max truly wanted to confide in him about.