King of the Wilderness

"Because I’m about to welcome a friend I deeply admire, a true legend, to share this stage with me."

"He’s not a singer, but through his experiences, he taught us what courage and protection mean."

"He just returned from a hell frozen over. Now, please give the warmest applause to my brother—Lin~Yu~’an!"

With Justin’s introduction, the lights in the entire arena suddenly dimmed.

Only a solitary beam of pure white spotlight shone at the back of the stage.

Within that beam, a tall figure slowly rose from the lift platform.

When Lin Yu’an’s figure first appeared in full on the Madison Square Garden stage, the entire arena fell into an eerily absolute silence that lasted for three seconds.

All the cheers stopped abruptly at this moment.

Nearly twenty thousand eyes were filled with incredible shock, staring intently at the figure in the center of the stage.

It was someone they had never seen before, as if he had walked out of a distant, mysterious Oriental epic, a king.

He wasn’t wearing modern clothes; he donned an indescribably luxurious and dignified deep red ancient ceremonial robe.

On his head was an elegantly lined black crown, making him appear exceptionally upright and dignified.

He didn’t wave or smile like other stars.

He simply stood there quietly, his gaze calmly sweeping over the sea of purple glow sticks below the stage.

The composure, the grandeur, that aura of sovereign rule over all instantly captivated the entire arena.

Meanwhile, in the YouTube live stream where millions of viewers worldwide gathered, the comments section exploded instantly!

[My God... What is that outfit? So cool! Like the costumes in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"!]

[Who is he? Is he a prince from some Asian country? This aura is too strong!]

[Is this Lin?! More charismatic in person than on TV... This outfit is ten thousand times more impressive than any luxury brand’s suit!]

However, amid the praise, some discordant voices began to emerge, especially in the South Korean live stream comment section.

[Wait, is this our Hanbok? The round-collared robe and the patch are typical features of our Goryeo Dynasty! Is this Lin a South Korean?]

[Exactly! He must be South Korean! Only our oppa can be this perfect!]

[He looks handsome, but I must point out, he is Chinese, and he is wearing traditional attire derived from South Korea!]

[Indeed, the Republic of Korea rocks! Our traditional attire is just so beautiful!]

These comments instantly ignited the wrath of the highly capable Chinese female netizens in debate! A war over cultural ownership erupted on the internet before Lin Yu’an even spoke!

[??? Those few South Korean commenters above, if you don’t want your eyes, you can donate them to someone in need. If you don’t want your mouths, use them to pickle kimchi! This is a standard Ming Dynasty round-collared robe with a Qilin patch!]

[Are you claiming something that even your Goryeo King would kneel to, as yours now?]

[Hilarious! For those who claim this is Hanbok, I suggest checking your "Annals of the Joseon Dynasty" to see what your kings wore when visiting the Great Ming Dynasty’s Emperor.]

[The commenter above is right, but they probably can’t see it since their country has deleted that part of history. Hahaha.]

[Where’s the science popularization team? No need to argue with them! Post images of the Ming Dynasty crown attire artifacts from our museums, along with portraits and records in the "Ming Chronicles" about the clothing bestowed to Princes and Dukes, and slap them in the face with these HD irrefutable proofs!]

[Sisters, don’t stoop to the level of illiterates and lower our taste. Let’s watch the show in silence. I believe God Lin will take action himself! Since he is wearing Hanfu on this stage, he must be prepared for a spectacular face-slapping show!]

[Exactly! Let them have a bit of temporary joy; soon, they’ll know what a cultural suzerain’s dimensionality reduction strike means! I can’t wait to see their mental breakdown!]

[Front row selling sunflower seeds, cola, and small stools, ready to watch a large-scale live meltdown of Cosmic Country netizens!]

After a brief silence, the applause and screams erupted like a volcanic explosion, more intense than any previous applause!

Lin Yu’an walked forward and hugged Justin Bieber tightly, "Thank you, Justin."

"No, it’s I who should thank you for being my concert guest, Lin. This stage now belongs to you!"

Justin completely gave the center of the stage to him.

Lin Yu’an walked to the microphone and the arena fell silent once again.

He looked at the young and expectant faces in the audience and slowly began to speak, his voice clearly carried into everyone’s ears through the top-notch sound system.

"Good evening, New York. I am Lin Yu’an."

"Before coming here, I spent over fifty days in a place with no human habitation."

"There, I saw the utmost loneliness and the most fragile of lives."

"Today, I want to dedicate this song to all the beautiful things we’ve had but are afraid to lose."

After speaking, he gently nodded to the band backstage.

The intro of the guitar arpeggio, steady as a heartbeat, slowly began to play.

There were no intense drumbeats, no fancy arrangements, just the purest, story-laden notes.

Lin Yu’an closed his eyes, and when he spoke again, his voice was devoid of any showmanship, only a sincere, magnetic narration.

"For a while there, it was rough."

"But lately, I’ve been doin’ better."

His singing instantly drew everyone into the emotions he created.

"I thank God every day, for the girl He sent my way."

The smiling faces of Aliya and Emily appeared in his mind.

"But I know the things He gives me, He can take away."

The song’s emotions began to build and layer.

When the chorus hit, all the emotions he had gathered erupted like a volcano!

"So I pray I enjoy it, this side of the soil!"

"’Cause the beautiful things that I’ve got, please don’t ever let me lose!"

It was a heart-wrenching, struggle-filled, pleading cry!

He was no longer a performer on stage; he was just an ordinary person making the most humble prayers to God, to destiny, to all unknown existences!

Just at this moment, the massive LED screen at the back of the stage, as large as a city skyline, quietly lit up.

Instead of flashy stage effects, the screen showed a Labrador Coastline covered in snow and ice, filled with a sense of solitude.

Soon, a small white fluffy figure stumbled into that vast white world.

——————

(After 00:00, next month’s monthly ticket will be distributed! Updated at 22:00 sharp, and there will be a monthly ticket extra Chapter about Lin Yu’an and Aliya’s university days.)

[Note, note, you must vote for the monthly ticket after 00:00 when the extra is updated to unlock and see!!!!]

[The range of Chapters is below Chapter 269.]