King of the Wilderness

"I... I’ve never told anyone about my family affairs." Max looked at the coffee in her hand, her voice low as if talking to herself.

"My surname, Connor, still carries some weight in Wyoming."

"My grandfather, Alister Connor, was a former governor of Wyoming, and one of the influential elders of the Republican Party in the Western Mountain Area."

"My mother was his only daughter. And my father..." She paused, a complex emotion emerging in her voice, "a cowboy from an ordinary herding family."

The intertwining of prominent and ordinary backgrounds left Lin Yu’an feeling a bit surprised as well.

He had never imagined that this young female doctor, who always wore a research coat and loved to complain, actually came from a family that truly combined politics and grassroots.

Max’s voice carried a hint of sadness: "My parents passed away in a shooting incident when I was in high school."

"It was my grandparents who raised me, always hoping I would inherit his political legacy."

"To my grandfather, the name MacKeez represented my mother’s rebellion and wrong choice. But to me, it represented freedom and... my own roots."

"They hoped I would enter politics, but I... I hate politics! I hate the hypocrisy, compromise, and endless exchange of interests."

"So, I chose science, I chose this cold, pure Arctic, fleeing far away from them."

"I haven’t... been back to that home in almost three years. I don’t want to plead with him, Lin. I really don’t."

Recalling the sad events, her eyes turned red, sparkling tears about to overflow, "Because I know, as soon as I speak, it means I’ve bowed to that world I’ve always resisted."

"Grandpa would help me; he has countless ways. But he would also make it a condition for me to... return to the place I don’t want to go back to and become the Catherine Connor he desires."

"But, for December..."

She raised her head, looked at Lin Yu’an, her blue eyes filled with inquiry, "I don’t know what to do. Should I give up my own insistence to save it?"

Lin Yu’an looked at her fragile and helpless appearance, picked up a tissue, and gently wiped away the tears that slipped from her eye corner.

His voice was gentle yet carried an undeniable strength.

He solemnly and clearly recited the name significant to her.

"No, MacKeez Connor."

"You don’t need to bow to anyone or change back to Catherine Connor for anyone."

Lin Yu’an continued, his voice carrying a touch of beguiling gentleness, "Your grandfather, raising you, deserves love and respect."

"But his era, and the rules he believed in of trading everything with political power, are over."

"You don’t need to give up anything. You just need to continue to be the pure and brave Dr. MacKeez, who only believes in science and truth, as you always have."

"You are you, the unique MacKeez; you should live according to your own thoughts, and I won’t let you bear this pressure alone."

"Leave the rest to me."

This sentence, like a warm current, instantly touched the soft spot in Max’s heart.

All her perseverance, all her loneliness, all her struggles, at this moment, were deeply understood by the man in front of her.

This remark was the last straw that broke Max’s emotional defenses down.

It was not only comfort but also affirmation, affirming her persistence. It’s the affirmation she hadn’t felt for many years.

She sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the man beside her.

In the living room, only a dim floor lamp was on, its soft light outlining his handsome and yet exotically appealing profile.

In those deep eyes, there seemed to be a reflection of a starry sky, filled with a soothing power.

All her pent-up grievances and pressure seemed to find an outlet for venting at this moment!

She could no longer suppress the impulse inside her.

She said nothing, just leaned forward slightly, approaching him. The soft cushions of the sofa emitted a slight sound of depression due to her movement.

Lin Yu’an sensed her approach and instinctively turned his head.

At that moment, Max reached out, gently cupping his cheek with a hand cold from nervousness.

Then, she closed her eyes, like a small beast gathering all its courage, pressed her equally cold yet soft lips onto Lin Yu’an’s lips.

[Manually uploading image, AI can’t portray this, (*^▽^*)]

At that moment, Lin Yu’an’s body suddenly stiffened.

A unique, indescribable purity belonging to Max enveloped all his senses in an instant.

It wasn’t the sugary sweetness of any commercial perfume, nor the cosmetic scent of urban women.

It was a kind of... fragrance carrying a hint of coolness, like the scent of freshly fallen snow on spruces on an Alaskan winter night.

He could clearly feel the softness and slight tremble of her lips, and that desperate heat seeking solace.

But he didn’t move.

He neither responded, nor deepened the kiss, nor pushed her away. He just stood there stiffly, allowing her to hold onto him like a drowning person clutching onto the only piece of driftwood.